


Rachel Songs

by lunargrrrl



Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: F/F, still not over it
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-08
Updated: 2018-03-11
Packaged: 2019-03-15 06:52:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 36,491
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13607922
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lunargrrrl/pseuds/lunargrrrl
Summary: The story of Rachel Amber and Chloe Price, and the soundtrack that went with it.Inspired by *that* CD in Rachel and Chloe's hideout in the junkyard.





	1. Track 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey all,
> 
> I've been drafting this story and idea for a while. Inspired by the incredible music from the game along with other songs that I love and associate with Rachel Amber and Chloe Price.
> 
> The first recommended song to listen to for this chapter is Koda - "I Don't". Please let me know what you think and if you have any song suggestions for future chapters, throw them my way.

**Track 1**

**[Koda - "I Don't"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2OfZ90mZWQ)**  
  
**<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2OfZ90mZWQ>**

* * *

 

“I think you’re the only one in the world I can trust.”

Chloe felt soft red flannel shift beneath her left hand as Rachel exhaled a breath that she had been holding, her voice breaking as she spoke. Hazy, purple light surrounded them as stars lit up the ceiling of Rachel’s room. She stared at the back of flowing blonde hair, wishing there was some way she could make this right for her and to ease the pain.

 

_I want you so_

_I've been blind_

_I want you so_

_I want you now_

 

“I’ll take it, even if it’s only by process of elimination.”

“Good.”

Red flannel shifted again, and Chloe’s arm tensed subconsciously as Rachel slowly rolled over to face her. Rachel’s cheeks were wet, and hazel green eyes full of sadness looked up to meet Chloe’s, whose arm was now gently draped over Rachel’s middle. In any other moment, Chloe would have inevitably panicked at this fact but right now, nothing mattered more than comforting the girl in bed next to her whose life had just been turned upside down.

Blue eyes looked warmly back into green, and Chloe couldn’t help but feel her gaze drop for a second down to those full lips she had been touching with her own just earlier tonight. The streetlights, the ash falling from the sky; the electricity between the two of them had caught alight as Rachel placed her hands in Chloe’s and slowly reached up on her toes to brush her lips with hers. Before Chloe had even had a chance to process it, soft, slender fingers were clutching the side of her face as lips came crashing into her own. Their tongues met and danced gently against each other for the first time. She mentally shook the recent memory from her head as she noticed Rachel shift away from facing her; lifting up her arm and looking at the familiar blue bracelet on her wrist.

 

_I don't want you to fall_

_I don't want you to fall_

_I don't want you to fall_

_I just want you back where you came from_

“I wore this bracelet my entire life. I never even asked why, never even thought about it. Somehow, I think I always knew, even when I didn’t know...“ Rachel sniffed and Chloe could tell that she was trying hard to hold back more tears, “That my real mother was gone.”

Chloe stayed by her side, her right hand tucked beneath the pillow and her left still holding Rachel. She felt the smaller girl’s chest rise and fall with each breath that she took. Chloe’s eyes never left her as she watched Rachel stare at the ceiling helplessly. Rachel licked her lips and turned her head to the side slightly. “The fact that she’s here right now... that she came here for me...” She gulped. “I think I need to see her... is that wrong?”

 

_I want you to leave me home  
_

_Yeah I want you to go where you came from_

 

Chloe pushed herself up from the bed and rested her weight on her arm, looking down at Rachel. “Of course not. But... it might be tough to track her down.”

“Yeah. That’s true.” Rachel blinked slowly and let her lips take the shape of a small smile, “Luckily, I’ve got my secret weapon.” She raised her right hand and brushed Chloe’s face gently with her fingers, letting her index finger ghost over Chloe’s bottom lip. Chloe smiled and her head spun at the touch, missing it instantly as Rachel placed her hand back down onto the bed with disappointment in her eyes, “But what if we can’t find her? It’s not like I can ask my dad...”

“I think I know what to do,” Chloe looked down at sad eyes with sincerity, “I’ll call Frank and get him to connect us to her.”

“You’d do that?” Rachel’s face lit up, full of hope.

“I’ll give it a shot. Plus...” Chloe bit her lip in thought, “I think I might be able to fix up that truck in the junkyard so we have a ride, too.”

“For real?”

“I’ll give it my best.”

“I know you will.” Rachel looked at her with pride and not a single doubt. “But even if we find her... How will I talk to her? What do I say?”

 

_I don't want you to fall_

_I don't want you to fall_

“After my dad died... I was worried I wouldn’t know how to talk to him anymore. But somehow, when we speak, I always know what to say.” Chloe meant every word, her own heart hurting at the sound of words that she’d never said to anyone else before.

“When you speak?” Eyes red with tears looked at her curiously as the stars spun slowly above them in the darkness.

“In my dreams. He’s there, and it’s so real. It’s almost like it’s another part of my life.” Chloe paused for a moment, choosing her words and taking in the sight of Rachel as she looked up at her with those warm, familiar eyes. “It used to be the only part that mattered.” She was suddenly scared she’d spilled too much as a moment of silence washed over them both, “I’ve never told anyone about that. Weird, huh?” Rachel had an unreadable expression on her face as the silence remained. “Uh... Rachel?”

“I was just thinking. Maybe I was wrong before. Who cares if the starts are dead?” She shifted slowly and leant forwards into Chloe expectantly. Chloe responded and lay on her back to give Rachel room to lean on her; room to hold her. Rachel rested her head on the other girl's arm as Chloe draped it around her shoulders. She felt fingers become laced with Rachel’s as she sighed into Chloe, “As long as we can still see them, that means they’re real to us, right?”

Chloe looked down as Rachel closed her eyes in the comfort of Chloe’s arms, before looking up at her again. “Right.”

 

_I don't want you to fall_

_I just want you back where you came from_

Chloe turned to look up at the passing stars projected onto the purple light of Rachel’s ceiling, feeling butterflies inside her dance at how close Rachel was to her right now. She felt her eyes start to sting a little at the first sign of tears. Just as she bit down on her bottom lip to stop that same old feeling of loss wash over her, she felt soft fingers graze her left cheek and turn her face to the side. Their eyes met as Rachel looked up at Chloe as if she _knew_. Her eyes seemed to tell a thousand stories that Chloe never really knew how to read. Rachel’s lips were open slightly as they held each other’s gaze; time slowing and the air around them becoming heavy. Chloe could feel her breath hitch somewhere in her throat, and she felt a tear escape and roll down her cheek.

“Chloe...” Rachel’s voice was quiet as her thumb brushed away the tear that had escaped. She was now leaning up from the bed and looking down at Chloe; the sound of Rachel saying her name rang softly in her ears as everything else quickly faded into the background. Her hand stayed fixed on Chloe’s face before her thumb slowly stroked her cheek. She looked down into blue eyes full of longing, searching Chloe’s face before looking down at her lips. It took a second for her lips to come crashing into Chloe’s. Instinctively, Chloe reached her hand up and ran it through Rachel’s waves of blonde as she tasted the saltiness of each of their tears combined. Rachel’s breath was ragged, both from the crying and from the sheer longing she had for the girl who lay beneath her on her bed. The rebel girl she had seen from afar at Blackwell for some time now, and who hadn’t escaped her mind since.

 

_I don't want you to fall_

_I don't want you to fall_

 

Chloe was breathless as Rachel deepened their kiss, cautiously pushing her tongue into Chloe’s mouth and hearing a small moan escape from her as she did so. Rachel pushed their bodies closer together, desperate to feel the warmth of them being as close as they could possibly be; a _nything_ to help heal the ache in her heart and the pain in her head.

Stars danced and twinkled above them as Rachel rolled over so that her body was completely flush with Chloe's, her hand grasping at Chloe's sleeve as if holding on for dear life. The music played softly in the background as Chloe felt another tear roll down Rachel's cheek and land on her own. She moved her hand down Rachel's red flannel shirt, wrapping her arm around her lower back and pulling the smaller girl on top of her. Her whole body seemed to buzz and she gasped as Rachel's thigh slid in between her own. The sudden, new-found contact  caused her to bite down on Rachel's bottom lip a little. A hushed moan escaped from the girl on top of her, letting her know that Rachel felt it too. A rush of heat to swept itself down Chloe's body and resonated between her legs.

Rachel brought herself to suddenly part from Chloe's lips; her cheeks slightly pink and her eyes wide. "Chloe... I..." She wet her lips slowly with her tongue, but she looked down at the bed covers with guilt, averting her eyes away from Chloe, "I want you. I really fucking want—“

“—It’s okay," Chloe assured her, noting the melancholy look in familiar green eyes, "I'm not going anywhere and neither are you." She tried her hardest to ignore the inevitable heat that had quickly built up in between her legs. "Tonight has been... Really fucking rough." As much as she wanted this... As much as she wanted to feel Rachel in new ways she hadn't yet and could only dream about... As much as her body yearned for Rachel to touch her and for her to do the same... To unravel themselves right here on her bed... They both knew that tonight was not the best night to do this, and Chloe knew that she'd feel as if she'd taken advantage of Rachel's vulnerable state, even if she said she wanted it too.

Rachel scooted around and laid back down on the bed so that she was back in Chloe's arms, "Can you please just... hold me? I want to fall asleep with you right here next to me."

"I'm here." Chloe tightened her arms around her as Rachel nuzzled into the nook between her neck and her shoulder, the subtle smell of jasmine filling up her senses. She felt Rachel exhale a deep breath.

"I don't want you to fall." Chloe heard Rachel sing quietly to herself, feeling her warm breath against her collarbone. Rachel tilted her head and planted a kiss on Chloe's neck, leaving bare skin tingling from the contact. Her eyes grew heavy as she watched the stars pass by over their heads, as if they were really floating in space instead of laying in the bedroom of the girl who Chloe had only ever seen from afar, surrounded by other students. The girl she thought was the epitome of perfect and who stood for everything she hated.

Rachel had crash landed into her life and had rapidly turned everything upside down; from her tipping her life upside down, to demolishing any previous ideas of Rachel Amber that she held in her head.

And she was going to cherish every moment of it.

 

_I don't want you to fall_

_I Just want you back where you came from_

* * *

 

 

 


	2. Track 2

**Track 2**

[Wolf Alice - "Don't Delete the Kisses"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqxE-zppu30)

<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqxE-zppu30>

* * *

It had been 2 whole weeks.

14 whole fucking days since she had seen or heard from her.

And Chloe felt like she was going crazy.

She had kept her word to Rachel; the girl who had stormed into her life; the girl who made her head spin and her heart twist in ways she couldn’t even properly describe. She had sat down in that hospital chair next to the bed and told Rachel _everything_ , witnessing the moment her entire world fell apart right in front of her eyes. Rachel had been inconsolable; Chloe had done her best to hold her and keep her calm as her mom and dad burst into the hospital room after hearing her cries. Nothing could stop that fire that raged inside of her. From the letters from her real mom that had been kept secret from her, to her dad’s entire plot to have her real mom ‘taken care of’; Rachel was broken.

Chloe had vowed to never lie to Rachel the way everyone else in her life had.

Mr. Amber had freaked, to say the least. His eyes burned with a rage that echoed his daughter’s as soon as he realized that she’d found out the truth. He walked up to Chloe and ordered her to leave, Rachel protesting as much as she could but still weak and in a lot of pain from the stab wound in her arm. As nurses ran into the room at the commotion, James Amber looked Chloe dead in the eye.

“You have ruined her life.”

Security had taken Chloe by the arm and forced her away. She heard Rachel calling out her name as she was led out of the hospital and to the parking lot. She hadn’t stopped checking her phone or attempting to call Rachel ever since. Her phone always read the same.

0 messages.

0 calls.

  
_I see the signs of a lifetime, you 'til I die_  
_And I'm swiftly out, Irish goodbye_

 _What if it's not meant for me?_  
_Love_  
_What if it's not meant for me?_  
_Love_

 _  
_ Chloe had spent the past week in her bedroom, lying on her bed blowing smoke rings at the empty, star-less ceiling. She’d gone to the junkyard almost every day, kicking empty beer bottles and throwing darts mindlessly. She’d even taken the time to make it look a little nicer; but it still wasn’t the same without Rachel there. She’d taken her truck and driven past the Amber house at least once each day; five of those days she had seen James Amber.  Two of those times, she saw him getting the mail, and one night he’d been getting out of his car. She’d seen him talking to police officers at the front door, and the last time she’d seen him, he’d just been standing on the porch; as if he was waiting for Chloe to come by. _“Fuck that.”_ Once she had seen Rose Amber watering the flowers in the yard on Tuesday afternoon. Not once had she seen Rachel.

The three days before everything turned to shit had been a whirlwind; from seeing Firewalk at the old mill, to ditching school and getting expelled, to the fire that had burned both physically and emotionally between her and Rachel. The forest fire, the stagelights, the kiss on the dark street... she hadn’t felt Rachel’s lips on her own since the night she spent watching the stars with Rachel in her bedroom, and the emptiness inside of her was almost unbearable.

Tomorrow though, was supposed to be Rachel’s first day back at Blackwell since she’d been in hospital. Chloe had explicitly heard one of the nurses tell Rachel she would need 2 weeks off from school, and Chloe had been counting down the days ever since. Sure, she was expelled right now and would likely be kicked off of campus as soon as she’d set foot in the parking lot, but she was determined. She _needed_ to see her, even if it was from afar.

She ran a hand through her hair, fiddling with the dyed blue streak at the front and twisting it around her fingers. She sighed as she kicked off her chucks and let her head hit the pillow. She checked her phone one final time.

0 messages.

0 calls.

 _I'd like to get to know you_  
_I'd like to take you out_  
_We'd go to The Hell Mary_  
_And afterwards make out_  
_Instead I'm typing you a message_  
_That I know I'll never send_  
_Rewriting old excuses_  
_Delete the kisses at the end_

* * *

“Hello, Blackhell.”

Chloe shoved her hands into the back of her jeans pockets, kicking the truck door closed as she did so. She leant back against the truck, taking out a cigarette. She held it between her lips, clicking her lighter a few times before taking a slow drag. She looked back up at the exterior of Blackwell as it loomed up ahead of her.  She checked her phone to look at the time.

3.16pm.

She couldn’t help but feel a heavy nervousness wash over her as she knew it was now the final minutes of the school day. The past 2 weeks had felt like an age, and she nodded her head along to the music as she tried to focus on anything that wasn’t the fact that she hadn’t seen her in two weeks; hadn’t heard her voice in two weeks; hadn’t seen those eyes in two damn weeks; hadn’t felt those lips against hers in two whole fucking weeks.

Her train of thought was interrupted as she heard a group of voices begin to emanate from near the main doors of Blackwell. She peered towards the entrance and saw a huddle of students gathered together as others began to flow through the exit. She took the final drag of her cigarette and threw the stub on the floor, walking with caution up to the path so she could get a clear view of the students, although she only had one student on her mind.

“Rachel! Rachel!” She watched from a distance as Dana Ward hopped down the Blackwell steps and over to the huddle of students. She felt her heart jump a little at the sound of the name she was calling.

_She was here._

Chloe felt a wave of panic sweep over her. What if Rachel didn’t even _want_ to see her? What if her dad was right, and she really _had_ ruined her life? Her palms began to sweat and she tried to mentally shake the negative thoughts from inside her brain. _“Fuck Chloe, come on. You can do this. Everything is fine, it’s been two weeks for her too. Of course she wants to fucking see you.”_ Chloe paced on the spot next to her truck, kicking stones mindlessly with her boots as she did so. She was almost thankful that there were too many students blocking her view right now. She clutched nervously at the three bullets that hung from her necklace as she bit her lip. She took a few steps closer up the path to Blackwell, swinging her arms and attempting to act as casual as possible.

  
_When I see you, the whole world reduces_  
_To just that room_  
_And then I remember and I'm shy_  
_That gossip's eye will look too soon_  
_And then I'm trapped, overthinking_  
_And yeah, probably self-doubt_  
_You tell me to get over it_  
_And to take you out_

 _What if it's not meant for me?_  
_Love_  
_What if it's not meant for me?_  
_Love_

  
She saw Victoria Chase walking up towards Rachel with a bouquet of yellow and pink flowers in her arms; she saw Juliet Watson holding a balloon in her hand; she saw students gathered around her left, right and center. Some were intent on only whispering among themselves, some were adamant on standing as close as possible to Rachel to hear the gossip.

Rachel Amber really was the most adored girl in school.

“You still look totally amazing for someone who just got freaking _stabbed_.” Taylor Christensen gushed.

“The news shook all of us when we heard, Rach.” Victoria’s voice was a good attempt at sounding genuine, “At least it happened _after_ the play, right?!”

Chloe waited patiently on the path for the students to clear away from Rachel; she hadn’t even caught a glimpse of her yet due to the attention that surrounded her.

A few students moved out of the way, and Chloe caught a flash of that familiar, bright blue feather earring.

Blonde hair that flowed past her shoulders.

A green flannel shirt.

When their eyes met, it felt as if the Earth had stopped spinning on its axis for a second.

  
_A few days pass since I last saw you_  
_And you have taken over my mind_  
_I'm re-telling jokes you made that made me laugh_  
_Pretending that they're mine_  
_I wanna tell the whole world about you_  
_I think that that's a sign_  
_I'm losing self control and it's you_  
_It really is, one thousand times_

  
Rachel had obviously stopped mid-sentence the moment her eyes had laid upon Chloe. Her mouth was open and her eyes refused to blink. As soon as the image of the tall punk girl watching her from across campus registered in her mind, a smile spread across her face; her eyes never leaving Chloe’s.

“We all wrote you a card Rach, did you get it? We sent it to the hospital you were staying in. We hope that—“ Victoria was cut off as Rachel slid past her and the other students. “Um... Rachel?” Victoria’s eyes followed Rachel as she pushed past the students crowded around her, her eyes fixed on Chloe.

Rachel headed straight towards her with one thought in her mind and one thought only; Chloe felt fixed to the ground beneath her boots as she watched Rachel approach her.

Students whispered and stared as Rachel ignored them all and headed straight towards Chloe.

Her eyes were dark and unreadable.

Rachel didn’t even stop walking once she’d reached her. She grabbed Chloe’s hand and pulled her away with haste, Chloe laughed and almost stumbled as she turned around 180 degrees.

“Uh... Rachel—“

“Junkyard. Now.”

There was no question in Rachel’s words.

That was a definite order.

  
  
_I look at your picture and I smile_  
_How awful's that? I'm like a teenage girl_  
_I might as well write all over my notebook_  
_That you 'rock my world!'_  
_But you do, you really do_  
_You've turned me upside down_  
_And that's okay, I'll let it happen_  
_'Cause I like having you around_

  
  
The air was silent between them as they drove to the junkyard. Chloe knew that Rachel should be the first one to talk, but Rachel was too busy looking out of the passenger window biting down on her bottom lip. Chloe turned the corners and the buildings of Arcadia Bay became fewer as they drove through the winding roads towards the junkyard.

Chloe lifted her foot off the accelerator as the abandoned vehicles and scrap metal came into view and glinted in the golden late afternoon sun. She drove up to their hideout, hitting the brakes but leaving her hands on the steering wheel before looking over to Rachel. She gulped. _Wolf Alice_ played quietly from the CD player in the truck and the only noise outside was the occasional creak of rusted metal in the Oregon breeze along with the wind rustling through the pine trees in the forest.

Rachel was the one to break the silence.

“I really fucking missed you, Chloe Price.”

“Likewise, Rachel Amber.”

“My dad took away my phone, if you hadn’t guessed. I’ve been under fucking house arrest ever since I got back from the hospital.” Rachel balled her fists in her lap.

“I figured it was something like that. I called and text you a few times...” Chloe bit her lip, “Like... a few hundred times, actually.”

Rachel smiled weakly, “Chloe, I...” She closed her eyes and let out an exasperated breath, “I don’t know what to do.” 

“I’m here.” Chloe grabbed Rachel’s hand. “Whatever happens, I’m here. And... I’m so sorry, Rachel. For everything.”

“You don’t have anything to be sorry about.” Rachel’s eyes glistened with tears, “I was right before. You really _are_ the only person in this world I can trust. You could have hid all that awful shit from me, you could have lied and told me that my real mom wanted nothing to do with me... but you didn’t. You _are_ the real thing, Chloe.” Rachel looked up the blue eyes across from her in the driver’s seat, “These past 2 weeks were really fucking terrible, and not just because of all the lies my dad told me. I really, _really_ missed you. Every single day, I wanted you there by my side so badly. I lit up my ceiling with those stars every damn night but it just felt so... empty without you there with me.”

Chloe fought hard against the blush she could feel heating her cheeks. “I felt like I was losing my mind. I drove past your house like, every damn day. I would sit in our junkyard shack and just... do nothing all day. It got so bad that I even kind of missed being at Blackhell.”

“No way.”  Rachel playfully hit Chloe in the side of the arm.

“No, really. But then I remembered that you wouldn’t be there until today and... there was no way I wasn’t going to come meet you.”

“I am so glad you did. Today was... really fucking weird. I’m used to Victoria being _fake_ nice to me but today she almost seemed... _nice_ nice to me.”

“Fuck that.”

Rachel smiled at her rebellious companion. For the first time in weeks, the buzzing pain in her head began to stop and the weight sitting on her heart eased a little. She sighed. “I feel like I should let you know that my dad wants me home by 6pm every night for the foreseeable future.”

“I’m surprised he didn’t insist on picking you up from Blackhell.”

“I’m sure he wanted to, but...” Rachel looked out at the scrap metal piled around the junkyard outside the truck window, “He knows that he’s lost every bit of my trust, and I think his way of trying to gain it back is by not being so strict on me.”

“But you’re still not allowed to have your phone or see me?”

“I’m allowed my phone back at the end of this week as long as I attend every class,” Rachel paused, before sitting up in the passenger seat and swinging her legs over towards Chloe. Chloe’s mind raced for a second before she clicked on to what Rachel was doing. Rachel reached over to the other side of Chloe’s seat with her right arm, and shifted herself over Chloe; steadily placing her right knee over Chloe’s lap, and settling her left leg over the other side. Her hands rested on the back of the seat either side of Chloe’s head as she straddled her lap. Chloe looked up at her with her mouth hanging open in surprise, “and he’s got another thing coming if he thinks he can actually keep me away from you, Chloe Price.”

 _I'm electric, a romantic cliché_  
_Yeah, they really are all true_  
_When we catch eyes at that stupid party_  
_I know exactly what to do_  
_I'll take your hand, and we will leave_  
_French exits from me and you_  
_And now I'm home, a little bit drunk_  
_Some things don't change_

  
  
Chloe’s arms stayed limp at her sides as she looked in awe up at Rachel’s eyes to which that unreadable, curious look had returned.

“You can touch, you know.”

Chloe couldn’t help her eyes trail down Rachel’s body before reaching her arms up clutch at her sides. She felt the tip of Rachel’s index finger touch her chin and draw her upwards until she was looking up into hungry green eyes that looked ready to devour her. Chloe’s eyes widened as blonde hair began to slowly close in around her. She lifted her right hand up to touch at the blue feather earring that was hanging from her ear as Rachel smiled down at her.

  
_And I know now that me and you were meant to be_  
_In love_  
_Me and you were meant to be_  
_In love_  
_Me and you  
_

“I love this song.” Rachel smiled, and fiddled with the three bullets that hung from the necklace around Chloe’s neck. She closed the gap between her and Chloe, her lips brushing against the other girl’s even softer than the first time they had under those streetlights. The taste of tears from their last kiss in Rachel’s bedroom was completely gone now, and Rachel’s lips were sweet with the faint taste of lip gloss.

Chloe felt addicted to the warmth and taste of Rachel’s mouth. Her lips had been tingling for the past two weeks from the moment they last kissed in Rachel’s bedroom. She parted the other girl’s lips tentatively with her tongue and couldn’t stop the moan that escaped from her. She felt Rachel’s mouth form a smile, making it clear that she’d heard it too. Rachel took Chloe’s bottom lip gently into her mouth, sucking on it for a second before their tongues touched again. The music played gently through the old speakers of the truck as the world outside seemed to disappear. Chloe ran her hands up and down the soft fabric of Rachel’s shirt, and felt Rachel’s hips shift even closer into her as if she longed for more contact. Chloe gripped at them in return and the shorter girl let out a quiet hum of pleasure.

Rachel parted away from Chloe slowly and leaned forward to whisper in her ear, “You make everything feel better.”

Chloe turned her head to the side and gripped Rachel’s hips harder at the soft words that were spoken in her ear. She leaned in to Rachel’s neck and inhaled deeply, relishing the jasmine scent that clouded her senses. Rachel laughed softly at her as she looked down at Chloe melting beneath her.

“Kiss me, Chloe Price.”

Chloe didn’t need to be told twice.

_I see the signs of a lifetime,  
You 'til I die_

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, lovely readers. I'd love to hear your thoughts/comments/desires for this fic. If you have any songs that remind you of Rachel and Chloe, let me know either through Tumblr or here in the comments. Thanks so much for reading <3


	3. Track 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for all your lovely comments so far, and for all of the song suggestions! I've added so many to my playlist since starting this fic, so thank you all. Please keep them coming, and let me know what you think. Apologies for the lengthy chapter you're about to read... Once I started writing it, it was hard to stop. :P

**Track 3**

**[Speedy Ortiz - "No Below"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DShPwEDX1s) **

**<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DShPwEDX1s> **

* * *

 

“Holy shit, you guys kissed?!” Steph sat up on her dorm bed at lightning speed, throwing her comic to the floor and staring in disbelief at the punk girl sat on the end of her bed. It had been just over 2 weeks since they’d seen each other at the hospital; Steph and Mikey visiting Drew and Chloe popping by whilst waiting for Rachel to wake up from surgery.

“No!” Chloe could feel her cheeks beginning to blush red hot. “Well... maybe _._ Like, one time.” Steph narrowed her eyes suspiciously, “Twice?” Chloe felt a foot poke sharply at her shin, “Ow! Okay, okay, three times. Happy?!”

“Chloe Price.” Steph’s eyed grew wide, “I think you just became the most envied student at Blackwell.” She paused, “Or most envied _ex_ -student at least. I need details. Stat.”

“Well...” Chloe lifted her arm and awkwardly rubbed the back of neck, “The first time was after the play. We kinda... made this deal to leave Arcadia Bay together. And y’know, me being... well, me... I kind of needed some convincing that she was for real and... let’s just say she provided some reassurance.”

“I bet.” Steph smirked at her friend, “I heard about the on-stage confession from Rachel. I just wished I could have seen your face.”

“I’m glad you didn’t.”

“But I get to see you blush bright red now while you give me all the gory details so, this is just as good.” Another poke of Chloe’s foot into her shin, “Ow! Okay, okay. What happened after that?”

“Then we went back to hers—“

“—holy crap—“

“—not in that way!” Chloe rolled up Steph’s comic in her hands and whacked her on the knee, “And some _major_ shit went down. Like, ‘Rachel went full on barbarian and smashed the dinner table’ kind of shit. She was super upset, and... I was there for her.”

“I’m sure you were.”

“We lay on her bed and—“

“—You were in Rachel Amber’s bedroom?!”

“Try not to fantasize about it too much.” Chloe rolled her eyes, “We kissed a little but she was crying. A lot. Nothing happened. I felt so helpless but I feel like for once in my life, my presence actually did some good.”

“I’m sure the make-out session helped her.”

“It wasn’t like that, perv!” Chloe elbowed her friend, causing her to let out a small yelp, “It was...” Chloe looked down to her lap and twiddled her thumbs nervously. “I don’t know how to describe it. Being with her is kind of indescribable in general.”

“I can imagine.” Steph nodded her head, and sighed. “And the third time?”

“Uh...” Chloe pulled out her phone and checked the time, “Like, 30 minutes ago?”

Steph gasped and laughed at Chloe, who had a slight smug expression on her face as she sat at the foot of her bed. “Wow.”

“I came to pick her up after her first day back at Blackhell. Well... as in I turned up unannounced in the parking lot and then we... kind of made out in my truck for an hour?” Chloe was trying to act as nonchalant as possible, but Steph’s wide eyes and the thought of Rachel straddling her in her truck made her cheeks blush pink. “I dropped her off about half an hour ago at the bottom of her street to avoid the wrath of her dad.”

“Wow, I can’t help but feel honored that you were able to tear yourself away from the lips of Rachel Amber to come hang out with me.” Steph leant back against her bedroom wall and rested her head on her knees.

“Well, she has a super strict curfew right now after everything that happened. I guess her dad is worried she’ll get hurt again, or try and meet up with her real mom—“

“—or he’s worried that the rebel punk girlfriend will corrupt his perfect princess of a daughter even more and they’ll ride off into the sunset together.”

“...what?” Chloe’s head spun around to look across at Steph in double time.

“What?”

“Um... girlfriend?”

“Yeah?” Steph shrugged, looking confused. “What’s the matter?”

“I... We... I mean, Rachel and I...” Chloe bit down on her bottom lip and looked to the floor. “We haven’t talked about anything like that.”

“Some things don’t need to be said, Chloe.” Steph was the one to roll her eyes now. “I saw her march across campus earlier when you turned up, and I heard about what she said on stage.” Steph shook her head at the oblivious human sat on her bed. “And you kissed! Multiple times!”

“I mean... yeah, I guess. But... I kissed Eliot too and look where _that_ got me.” Chloe paused, finding her thoughts travelling to her mom and David, her dad, Max... Sure, people can be incredible and change your life. But who’s to say they won’t leave? “I don’t wanna fuck up whatever’s going on between us by scaring her off.” She reached for the pack of cigarettes in her jeans.

“Hey, hey! Can you please not do that in my room? I’m already breaking the rules by letting the expelled outlaw hang out in my dorm.”

“Sorry.”

“You don’t have to stop yourself, Chloe.”

“Um... you were the one that stopped _me_ from smoking?!”

“No, smartass.” Steph laughed and shook her head. She looked at Chloe with sincerity, “You don’t have to stop yourself from _wanting_ someone, or stop yourself from trusting her.”

“I _do_ trust her. I think? It’s just... it’s hard.”

“It doesn’t need to be, Chloe.”

Silence fell over the two friends. Steph picked up a notebook from next to her bed and began writing away, giving up on her attempt to help Chloe see more clearly for now. Chloe sat at the end of the bed staring into space, thinking over Steph’s words. She looked around at Steph’s dorm room. It was tidier than she had ever managed to keep her own room. Her Dungeons and Dragons handbook sat proudly on her desk and drawings by both her and Mikey were stuck to her walls. Skyrim was paused on her computer.

Chloe looked over to what Steph was doing. “You better not be writing about me.”

“As much as I would just _love_ to write about you and the gay love story of the century,” Chloe snatched the notebook out of her hands, “Hey! Those are my notes for the Blackwell Ball.”

“Uh... Blackwell Ball?”

“Yup. I’m helping everything get set up and helping with the music and lighting. It’s a shame you’ve been expelled, I for one would _kill_ to see Chloe Price in a dress.”

“Dream on, Gingrich.” Chloe threw the notebook back at her, “Is... um...”

“...is Rachel going, you mean?”

“That’s not... Uhh, no. I...”

“You know her far better than I do...  and in more ways than one...” Chloe shot her a warning glare, ”So I don’t need to tell you that there is no way in hell that Rachel Amber would ever miss the Blackwell Ball.”

Chloe paused, blinking away her thoughts of the girl in question, “Rachel or no Rachel, things like ‘Blackwell Ball’ actually make me feel even happier that I got expelled.”

“Did you not hear me when I said that I’m literally helping set the whole thing up?” Steph sighed, offended but not surprised.

Chloe backtracked, reminisce of the last time she insulted Steph with her disgust at The Tempest while she was the stage manager.

“My bad, dude.”

 

* * *

 

“So this is the house of Chloe Price.”

Chloe shut the door of her truck and walked over to Rachel, standing awkwardly next to her as the other girl stood on the driveway looking up at the house. She became extremely conscious of the fact that she was about to have Rachel Amber inside her house for the very first time.

“Home shit home.”

“I like it. Whoever painted it has good taste.” Rachel looked up at Chloe and smiled, tapping at her blue feather earring.

Chloe stayed on the driveway, watching Rachel walk up to the front door. Her heart warmed as she thought of her dad stood on that ladder all those years ago; a can of paint and a paintbrush in his hands. She smiled at the sight of Rachel on her doorstep. Rachel turned around to look at Chloe, curious as to why she had stopped. “So, are you gonna let me in?” Chloe snapped back to reality, fumbling with her house keys. Just as she was about to turn the key in its lock, the front door swung open.

“Oh, Chloe! Rachel?” Joyce stopped in her tracks, David behind her. His face changed very quickly at the sight of both Rachel and Chloe together.

“Hi, Mrs. Price.” Rachel threw Chloe’s mom a charming smile.

“Oh Rachel, it’s so good to see you. How are you doing?” Joyce gave Chloe’s companion a warm smile, “Chloe told me you’re better now and back at Blackwell?”

“Yeah, I’m doing much better thank you Mrs. Price. It’s all thanks to your daughter here. She’s literally my guardian angel.”

“Call me Joyce, dear. Any friend of Chloe’s is a friend of ours, right David?” David grunted, expressionless. “I’m so sorry about everything, Rachel. And I am so glad you both have each other.”

Rachel turned to look at Chloe, a vague mischievous look in her eye as she smiled up at her. Chloe realized she had been staring back a little too long, “Uhh! We’re um. We’re just gonna go hang out in my room if that’s okay. Are you guys heading out?”

“We’re just heading out for dinner but we won’t be long. Oh Rachel, you’ll have to come over again soon and I’ll make us all dinner. Maybe one night next week?”

“That sounds wonderful, I’d like that a lot.” Rachel beamed back at Chloe’s mom as if butter wouldn’t melt. Chloe’s mom and David walked past the two girls and headed out. “Have a lovely evening.”

“Bye girls. Chloe, there’s leftovers in the fridge from last night or there’s money on the side for you to order pizza or something if you like.”

“See you later!” Chloe called back to them and hopped inside, eager to close the front door.

“So, that was the infamous stepladder?”

“Seriously, that name you’ve given him makes me want to puke.” Chloe winced at the memories of Rachel the ‘shock therapy’ therapist. “But yes, that’s the dickwad.”

“He’s a man of few words, apparently.”

“Trust me, it’s a good thing he didn’t say anything to us. There’s probably a million and one lectures he’s been holding off from giving me these past 2 weeks. My mom told him to go easy on me ever since he turned complete evil dicktator and searched my room and made me empty my pockets.”

“Your mom can do way better than him.” Rachel sighed, looking around the hallway, “So, are you gonna give me the grand tour now?”

“Uhhh... sure. The kitchen’s just this wa—“

“—oh my gosh, is this you?” Chloe panicked as she heard Rachel squeal up ahead, looking at the photos on the wall, “I’m guessing this was before the broken arm?” Rachel pointed at the photograph of a younger Chloe on a skateboard. Rachel scanned the photographs, looking endearingly over every single one. “Your hair looked cute long.”

Chloe hung back awkwardly in the hallway, “You don’t like it now?”

Rachel looked back at Chloe with a smile, before approaching her slowly until she was stood right in front of her. She stood on her toes, and slid one arm up so that it was wrapped around Chloe’s neck. With her other arm, she reached up and twirled the dyed blue streak around her index finger, lingering her eyes on Chloe’s, “I already told you that I think your hair... is _really_ fucking hot.”

Chloe looked into hazel eyes and tried her hardest to keep her cool, memories of being in the junkyard shack a couple of weeks back when Rachel first saw her newly dyed blue streak came flooding back to her. “I don’t remember the words ‘really’ or ‘fucking’ being in there the last time.”

“No?” Rachel looked up at her innocently, “Well I do. Actually, I find _you_ really fucking hot, Chloe Price.” She reached up so her face was even nearer to the taller girl’s, ghosting her lips close enough to Chloe’s that she could feel Rachel’s warm breath tingle against them. “So get used to it.” Rachel winked and slid her arms down from Chloe, who stood practically frozen and close to melting on the spot. Rachel twirled around, heading on into the kitchen, “So, about that tour?”

“Oh, right. Yeah...” Chloe shifted on the spot, licking her lips and gulping after she realized her mouth was hanging open. She shoved her hands in her jeans pockets, walking into the kitchen, “This is the room that my mom cooks pancakes and eggs and bacon and tells me I’m a disappointment. That over there is the front room which I tend to avoid unless I feel like either receiving a lecture or contributing more to my self-loathing.” Chloe turned around 180 degrees and pointed, “That door leads to the garage where the massive Tool keeps all of his... well, tools,” Chloe heard Rachel quietly laugh, looking over to her and seeing her studying her house with a thoughtful look. “Upstairs?”

“Lead the way.”

Chloe hopped up the stairs, reaching for the banister at the stop and swinging around it, “That’s my mom’s room which is also soon to be David’s once he moves all his stuff in. The less said about that, the better,” she winced, “Bathroom is over there to the left, and um.” Chloe stood in front of the closed door of her bedroom, putting her hands behind her back. “Yep. That’s pretty much it.”

“I’m still awaiting the grand finale.” Rachel winked over at the taller girl, folding her arms. She sauntered over to Chloe, eying up the door she was standing in front of.

Chloe crossed her arms across her chest with defiance. “Password?”

“No dickweeds allowed?”

“Nope.”

“B.Y.O.B.? Bring Your Own Booty?”

“Guess again.”

Rachel raised an eyebrow at Chloe and stood in front of her. She reached for the door handle behind Chloe with her right hand, resulting in her body pressing against Chloe’s as she did so. Chloe instinctively leaned back against the door, gazing down at the shorter girl with her mouth open. Rachel pressed her left hand up against the door next to Chloe’s head, pinning her against it. Before Chloe’s brain could catch up to the moment, Rachel was on her toes to reach Chloe’s lips and she brushed them delicately with her own. Chloe sighed back into her mouth.

Rachel slowly withdrew, opening her eyes and noting how Chloe’s were still closed; her lips still expectant. Rachel kept one arm pinned to the door and the other over Chloe’s hand that covered the door handle. She guessed another password, low and in a whisper, “Rachel Amber rocks my world?”

Chloe opened her eyes in shock and fought a blush, reaching for the door handle behind her back. “Close enough.”

She pushed open the door with her back, allowing Rachel to enter in ahead of her. She caught sight of the satisfied smile that was spread across the smaller girl’s face. The first few seconds of Rachel slowly walking into the middle of her bedroom made her palms sweat and her heart beat a little harder than it already was. She watched as Rachel spun on the spot right in the center of the room, taking in every bit of it.

“So, this is where the magic happens?”

“Something like that.” Chloe reached up, adjusting her blue beanie out of awkward nervousness.

“I _love_ it. It’s so... Chloe.” Rachel grinned and walked back near to where Chloe was stood, eying up her posters and wandering over to the desk in the corner of the room. From there, she made her way around it in a clockwise motion, tapping the pirate hat on the mirror with a smile, brushing Chloe’s bed with the tips of her fingers as she walked past it. She curiously read every bit of graffiti that was on the walls. She walked by the window; hazy golden sunlight illuminating her as Chloe watched her in silence from the doorway. Rachel reached the CD player, looking at the stack of CD’s nearby. “Any requests?”

Chloe walked over to her and looked through her music, picking up the _Speedy Ortiz_ CD she was looking for. “I think you’ll like this one.”

 _  
_ _You didn't know me when you were a kid_

_In trouble at school, alone at lunch again_

_I didn't know you when I broke my knee_

_Spent the summer on crutches and everybody teased_

_Except for this one friend I almost forgot_

Chloe watched from the corner of her eye as Rachel nodded her head in approval as the drum beat kicked in. “You’ve got good taste Price. And not just in music, I might add.” She winked seductively.

“I’ll have to make you a mix tape some time.” Chloe walked over to her bed, doing her best to act as unaffected by Rachel’s teasing as she could. She sat on the edge of the bed and reached down for the shoebox where her secret stash was kept. Rachel eyed her curiously, walking over and sitting next to her.

“Hey, before you do that...” Rachel clasped at Chloe’s hand as she started rolling up a joint. “I need to talk to you about something.”

Chloe paused and looked at the girl sitting next to her, gulping. The strums of the guitar from the song played softly in the background. “Shoot.”

“Okay, so...” Rachel took a deep breath for courage. “My dad. He... he said that I can meet Sera.”

“What?” Chloe’s eyes widened.

  
  
_You didn't know me, but he knew best_

_The weight of my brain and the fear of my cold head_

_You never saw me, interred in the ice_

_My friends tried to melt, but he couldn’t thaw me outright_

_So I got ditched freezing, alone with my thoughts_

 

“Sera. My real mom. He said I can meet her.” Chloe couldn’t tell if Rachel was about to laugh or cry. Rachel reached for Chloe’s hand that was in her lap, lacing her fingers with her own. “I can’t believe it. As in, I literally don't know whether to believe him or not... But what if he means it?"

“Holy shit.”

“Right?”

“Rachel, this is... This is amazing.” She tightened her grip around the other girl’s hand. “You deserve to finally meet her after all the shit that’s happened.”

“Will you come with me?” Hazel green eyes pleaded up at her. “Please?”

“Of course, but...” Chloe paused in thought. “Are you sure you want me there for something so special for the two of you?”

“Please. You said you met her already and... I _need_ you Chloe.” Rachel rested her head on Chloe’s shoulder as she spoke, “ _You_ are the one that made all this even possible, and I want this...” She kissed the back of Chloe’s hand, “...right there with me.”

 

_  
And though I once said I was better off just being dead_

_Better off as being dead, without my old friend_

_True, I once said, I was better off just being dead_

_But I didn't know you yet_

  
  
“You got it.” Chloe smiled down at her, “Are you not still banned from seeing me though?”

“Well, right now I technically am...” Rachel smirked up at Chloe, “But I was hoping you could give me a ride. I hope that’s okay.”

“That will _always_ be okay.” Chloe stroked a strand of blonde hair out of Rachel’s face and smiled, “And if car rides with you always end up like they did yesterday at the junkyard, then that sounds like a sweet deal.”

“Deal.” Rachel winked, leaning back to lie on the bed. “You can smoke that joint now if you wish.”

 

  
  
_You didn't know me but you got cold, too_

_And your mind was heavy and you thought you might lose it_

_With everything fucked up, we both felt before_

_I'm glad for it all if it got us where we are_

_With you in the boat there, I almost forgot_

 

Chloe smiled back at her, holding the joint between her lips and rummaging for her lighter. She pushed herself back on the bed so she was laid next to Rachel. “You want some?”

“Are you trying to corrupt me, Chloe Price?” Rachel raised an eyebrow at the girl lying next to her in bed.

“We both know it’s the other way around. You forcing me to skip school, jump off trains, steal wine...”

“Touché.” Rachel sat up a little, leaning up on her elbows, “Okay, I give into your peer pressure.”

“That was fast.” Chloe laughed, sitting up herself and taking a slow drag from the joint. She closed her eyes as she did so, before pulling it from her lips and exhaling deeply, the smoke surrounding the two of them. “Here.”

 

  
  
_How I once said I was better off just being dead_

_Better off just being dead, I didn't know you yet_

_And you might've said you, were better off just being dead_

_But I'm looking out for you, my friend, I’m looking_

  
  
Chloe turned to lie on her side so was facing her, and Rachel mimicked the movement. Her hazel green eyes followed her hands expectantly as Chloe brought the joint down from her mouth and placed it between Rachel’s full lips; Rachel’s eyes never left the blues of Chloe as she did so.

“Now, just breathe in but not too—“ Rachel coughed a little, “—deep.” She couldn’t help but laugh softly at the sight of the most adored, fawned over student at Blackwell lying next to her on the bed with a joint between her lips. “Hold it in for a sec, then breathe out, long and slow.”

Rachel closed her eyes as the smoke left her lips, swaying a little on the bed. “Damn.”

“Good shit, right?”

“Very.” Rachel giggled, carefully taking the joint from her lips and handing it back to Chloe.

Chloe took another drag, closing her eyes and letting it fill her senses as she nodded her head to the music; that familiar, comforting buzzing feeling began to flow through her body.

“Come here a second.” Chloe shifted herself on the bed so she was sat up again, and Rachel did as she was told, “Hold up your hands, and put your mouth right here.”

“A shotgun, Chloe? You really _are_ a romantic.” She laughed.

“Damn right.” Chloe placed the end with the embers between her teeth and pointed for Rachel to put her lips on the other end. She blew gently into the joint as Rachel drew in a breath. The fog surrounded them and Rachel gasped back upon receiving the hit. She laughed, lying back on the bed.

Chloe looked back and smiled at Rachel who was looking up at the ceiling and laughing softly to herself. She took a final drag off of the almost burnt out joint, and held the smoke in her mouth upon doing so. She scooted backwards towards Rachel, looking down at the person who made her mind race and her heart twist. She brushed the other girl’s blonde hair with her fingers as Rachel smiled up at her. With the smoke still held in her mouth, Chloe leaned down and kissed Rachel softly, slowly letting the smoke enter between the other girl’s lips. Chloe parted away and Rachel sighed when she exhaled, her lips still pouting and longing for Chloe’s.

Chloe leaned backwards towards the ashtray on the floor, disposing of the stub and returning back to Rachel, who’d stopped laughing and was leaning over on the bed. She’d seen the photograph of Chloe, Chloe’s dad and Max on the side.

“Is that them?”

Chloe nodded.

“You look so happy.”

“Until I met you, I guess that probably was the last time I was really happy.”

“You look like him. You have his eyes.” Rachel moved closer into Chloe, resting her head gently on the other girl’s shoulder as they lay side by side. “My favourite colour.”

“People used to say that a lot.”

“It’s true.” Rachel paused, gently stroking the taller girl’s arm as she did so, “Do you reckon he’d like me?”

Chloe laughed at the thought, “He would have loved you, without a doubt. Even if you are a terrible influence on me, Rachel Amber.”

“Says the one who made Rachel Amber smoke pot for the first time.”

“...good point.” Chloe laughed, still feeling the buzz dart around her body. “He would have loved you from the start. You are so passionate and so was he.”

Rachel smiled, “I wish you and me had become friends sooner.”

“Me too.” Chloe sighed, sadly. “But weirdly it kind of... feels like I’ve known you for years. Almost like I’ve known you all my life... without really _knowing_ it?”

Rachel sat up, looking down at Chloe with fondness in her eyes and brushing her fingers softly through the blue streak in Chloe’s hair. She planted a tender kiss on her cheek that left skin tingling upon departure. She thought for a second, back to the beginning of it all.

“’When you meet someone who’s going to change your life... You just know it, I guess.’”

 

_  
I didn't know you when you were a kid_

_But swimming with you, it sure feels like I did_

* * *

 

 


	4. Track 4

**Track 4**

**[Daughter - "Youth"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEpMj-tqixs) **

**<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEpMj-tqixs> **

* * *

 

Her eyes were heavy as she came around to her senses and blinked slowly, that familiar post-nap, post-high confusion clouding her mind. Her fingertips were still tingling from the weed as she groggily pushed herself up in bed. She heard the soft sound of sleepy breathing in bed next to her. Chloe looked down at the girl in question, smiling at the view of Rachel Amber practically sucking her thumb while she slept. The stereo played softly across her dark bedroom.

 

  
_Shadows settle on the place, that you left._

_Our minds are troubled by the emptiness._

_Destroy the middle, it's a waste of time._

_From the perfect start to the finish line._

 

The moment was swiftly interrupted by the realization that it was indeed both dark in her bedroom and in the night sky outside; it was almost 3 hours past Rachel’s newly-enforced curfew. Somehow, time had got away from them and they had both ended up napping together on Chloe's bed after sharing the joint.

There were three very loud knocks at the front door downstairs.

“ _Shit._ ” Chloe hissed, “Rachel, wake up!”

“Mmmmh. Don’t wanna,” a sleepy Rachel reached out an arm, making sure her thumb stayed firmly in her mouth, “Come back, please.”

Three louder, angrier knocks at the door.

“Fuck. I wish.” Chloe muttered, before she gently shook the shorter girl’s shoulder, “Rachel... it’s almost 9pm.” Another loud bang, “Is there any chance that’s your _dad_ knocking at my front door?!”

“ **Rachel**! Are you in there? I need you out here _now_ if you are.” The muffled shouts of James Amber outside answered the question for her.

“ _Shit.”_ Rachel sat up in bed promptly, and Chloe tried to not find her slightly ruffled blonde waves of hair and sleepy eyes too adorable; hazel green eyes slightly red from the pot earlier.

“It’s okay, I’ve got this.” Chloe placed a reassuring hand on the other girl’s shoulder, “I’ll go answer it and sort this out, while you make an escape through the window.”

“What?!”

“Relax, dummy. I do it all the time,” Chloe jumped up and off the bed, grabbing Rachel’s hand and leading her to the window above her desk. “How else do you think I make it past my mom and her douchebag for a boyfriend after late nights consisting of Firewalk, burning down forests, and making out with Rachel Amber?”

“...that’s hot.” Rachel smirked at Chloe whilst climbing up onto her desk, kneeling by the window. “Maybe you could do a little breaking and entering through my window some time.”

“I’ll see what I can do,” Chloe’s insides buzzed at the thought, giving Rachel a knowing smile, “Don’t open the window until you hear me answer the door, okay? Just step out onto the roof, then make your way over to the edge so you can reach your legs down onto the fence. You can hop down that way.”

“I’m a lot shorter than you are, Chloe Price. If I break my ass...”

“Try not to, please? I like your ass the way it is.” Chloe was not expecting _that_ to come out of her own mouth, and judging by Rachel’s raised eyebrows, she wasn’t either.

“ **Chloe!** I know you’re in there, I can hear music.” The voice of Rachel’s dad boomed that little bit louder.

Both girls picked up the pace in panic, Chloe anxiously looking at Rachel, “ _Crap._ Be careful, okay? You want me to come pick you up from Blackwell tomorrow?”

“You better.” Rachel smiled back at the taller girl as Chloe began to turn towards her bedroom door, “And where do you think you’re going?”

“Uh...” Chloe turned around impatiently on the spot, “To go answer the door to your dad before that Amber family rage really kicks in?!”

Rachel grabbed Chloe by the wrist, pulling her towards her in one swift movement. She knelt up from the desk and caught Chloe’s lips with hers as the taller girl gasped softly into her mouth in surprise. The shorter girl ran her tongue along the tip of Chloe’s as she entered her mouth with haste. Chloe swayed on the spot as Rachel pulled away as quick as she had pulled her in. “ _Now_ you can go.”

 

_And if you're still breathing, you're the lucky ones._

_'Cause most of us are heaving through corrupted lungs._

_Setting fire to our insides for fun_

_Collecting names of the lovers that went wrong_

_The lovers that went wrong._

 

* * *

 

“Uh... can I help you?” Chloe opened the front door and looked up into the tired, angry eyes of Rachel’s dad. His tie was skewed and she was taken aback by how dishevelled he looked; the faint smell of alcohol hitting her nostrils. She attempted to wear as oblivious a face as possible.

“Where is she?” The rage in his voice was quiet but apparent.

“She’s not here. I ‘ruined her life’, remember?”

“Don’t play games with me, Chloe.” He frowned, exhaling a frustrated breath, “You of all people should know where lies can get a person.”

Chloe gulped, trying to keep her cool as her resentment for the man on her doorstep bubbled inside her. She folded her arms across her chest. “I haven’t seen her in over 2 weeks, thanks to you.”

“You... are a terrible liar.” Before Chloe could compute, James Amber had marched past her and into her house.

“Dude, what the fuck?!” Chloe’s eyes widened, “Didn’t you hear me? She’s _not here.”_

“Do not, and I mean **do not**...” He raised his hand, pointing aggressively in Chloe’s face. He inhaled deeply, turning his pointed finger into a fist before collapsing it at his side in exhausted frustration, “It doesn’t matter.”

“Uh...” Chloe eyed him cautiously as she saw him avert his eyes to the ground, his face full of... Guilt? Remorse? She couldn’t tell. “ _What_ doesn’t matter?”

“Sera’s gone.”

“Wha... what?”

“She’s gone. She left town... for good this time.” His eyebrows crossed into a deep frown, “And if she has taken Rachel with her, I swear to god...”

Chloe paused, taking in the new information but knowing she had to keep her guard up. “Why would Rachel leave with her? _How_ would Rachel leave with her? They’ve never even met.”

He cast a warning look at Chloe. “And I will make sure it stays that way.”

Chloe looked at him suspiciously, remembering what Rachel had told her while they sat on her bed just a few hours earlier, “I thought you said to Rachel that she could finally meet her?!”

James Amber’s infuriated eyes shot to Chloe as she hung back in the hallway, “And how would you know about that?”

“Uh...” _Fuck._

“So she _was_ here.” He inhaled a deep breath as if he was going to raise his voice some more, before pausing for a second and lowering his eyes in defeat. “Forget it.” He hung his head and pinched the top of his nose with his fingers. “It doesn’t matter anyway. Sera’s gone, and that’s all that matters.”

“You lied to her _. Again.”_ Chloe felt her palms become clammy with anger, “You fucking lied to her again! After everything! Where has Sera gone? Rachel should get to meet her after everything that happened! After all the shit she was force-fed for so long!” Chloe clenched her fists at her sides; feeling the empathy and rage inside her boil on behalf of the girl whose lips she could still taste on her own.

“She didn’t tell me where she was going.” James turned towards the door to leave, “And I know you won’t believe that. But... you saw yourself how broken Sera was. Sera is... Unreasonable. She’s destructive. She’s...” He paused in the doorway, before turning back to look at Chloe with a distant and unreadable look, “I might have lied to Rachel, but I did it to protect my daughter. Sera lies only to protect herself.”

Chloe narrowed her eyes at him as he ran a hand through his greying hair, walking back out into the Oregon night. She couldn’t restrain herself any longer as she ran out of the front door after him. “Liar! You’ve lied so much that you’ve even convinced yourself that you’re telling the truth,” he opened the door to his estate car and got in, ignoring her the whole time. He started the engine of his car as Chloe pounded on the driver’s window. He paused with both hands grasping the steering wheel before rolling down the window.

“Stay away from my daughter, Chloe.”

* * *

 

_We are the reckless,_

_We are the wild youth_

_Chasing visions of our futures_

_One day we'll reveal the truth_

_That one will die before he gets there._

 

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

Chloe gripped the steering wheel of her truck, the feeling of impatience, anger and uncertainty balled up and running rampant all over her body. She stared out of the truck window at the desolate junkyard in front of her. She had to get out of the house; the need to see and talk to Rachel was too much to bear as she laid on her bed at home, staring helplessly at the empty space that Rachel had occupied the night before after she fell asleep on her chest. How she longed to sweep her up and for them to both leave this town for good; how she longed to protect her from the lies she’d been told for far too long. They would drive down the coast with only the future and each other in their sights. Chloe closed her eyes and tried to focus on that thought. She knew Rachel had to stick this week out at Blackwell if she was going to get any sort of freedom back, but the urge to drive up to that parking lot and steal her away was agonizing. She turned up the music that was playing from her truck stereo to try and drown out her thoughts.

 

_And if you're still bleeding, you're the lucky ones._

_'Cause most of our feelings, they are dead and they are gone._

_We're setting fire to our insides for fun._

_Collecting pictures from a flood that wrecked our home,_

_It was a flood that wrecked this home._

 

 

She opened the door of the truck, leaving the door open to let the music play loud enough to comfort her. She sat on the same crate that Rachel had been sat on only a couple of weeks earlier when it had all began; the rage burning bright in her eyes and the moment Chloe had begged her not to leave; the moment she begged Rachel to stay because she knew that whatever was happening between them was special.

She reached for the pack of cigarettes in her front pocket, only to find she was completely out after smoking out of anxiousness for most of the afternoon. She swore and verbally let out her frustration, throwing the empty pack to the ground.

She felt a gentle hand on her shoulder.

She swivelled around in a split second to find an outstretched hand offering her a cigarette; a flower tattoo sleeve covering the person’s arm.

 

 

* * *

 

Chloe kicked up her feet and stretched out her legs as she waited, parked up at the bottom of the Blackwell steps. She held a cigarette between her fingers, flicking the ash onto the sidewalk outside before taking another drag, smiling to herself as she heard the bell ring signifying the end of the day. She looked out of the passenger side window, up at the statue of Jeremiah Blackwell that looked down over her and caught Principal Wells next to it. He was walking down the path towards her, eying her sternly with his hands held behind his back. She held up one hand and gave him a smug wave.

A flash of a single blue feather earring.

Blonde hair, a flannel shirt, and ripped skinny jeans.

 

_  
And you caused it,_

_And you caused it,_

_And you caused it_

 

  
The person that she had been waiting for all day appeared from behind him, skipping right past and taking him by surprise. Chloe felt as though her heart grew double its size as she saw the smile on the other girl’s face. She watched Rachel turn around whilst running towards Chloe’s truck, quickly waving the Principal goodbye.

Chloe eagerly leaned forward and out of the passenger window, chucking her cigarette stub out onto the sidewalk. She threw open the truck door, shimmying back into the driver’s seat to allow her partner in crime to hop up and in next to her. Rachel jumped in, smiling broadly at her getaway driver, before both of them looked back to Principal Wells who gave them a disapproving shake of his head.  Rachel threw an innocent, charming smile back at him as she waved.

Chloe did quite the opposite, letting her farewell ring out with a kiss of her middle finger.

“So, where are you whisking me off to tonight?” Rachel looked at Chloe expectantly, hanging her right hand out of the passenger window as she felt the breeze whip through her fingers. “Is this a ‘junkyard make-out session’, or more of a ‘getting high in Chloe Price’s bedroom’ type thing?”

Chloe laughed at her, smiling at Rachel from the corner of her eye, “Neither, actually.” She smiled at the road ahead, “Somewhere different.”

“Okay, I’m intrigued.” Rachel turned the dial of the truck stereo, tapping one hand on her knee along to the beat, “More importantly, what the hell happened with my dad last night?”

Chloe gulped. “Did he not tell you last night?”

Rachel averted her eyes, turning her focus to the passing world outside, “I still don’t want to talk to him. I managed to lock myself in my room last night before he came back home, and he didn’t even try and speak to me. In fact, I didn’t even hear him come home last night,” Chloe spotted Rachel twiddle her thumbs nervously in her lap. “The last time he spoke to me was when he told me I could finally meet Sera. He knocked on my bedroom door and told me, but I didn’t even reply to him. I mean, obviously I really want to, but a big part of me thought he was lying about that, too.”

_Well I've lost it all, I'm just a silhouette,_

_A lifeless face that you'll soon forget,_

_My eyes are damp from the words you left,_

_Ringing in my head, when you broke my chest._

_Ringing in my head, when you broke my chest._

 

Chloe gulped, thinking back to Rachel’s dad storming into her house last night, dishevelled and smelling of booze. “I don’t blame you.”

“I need to get out of there, Chloe.” Rachel exhaled a fed-up sigh, “Fuck, I need to get out of _here_ in general. You better still be up for making our escape some time soon.”

“More than ever,” Chloe felt Rachel’s left hand appear on her thigh as she drove. She tried her best to keep her mind on the road, “But... what about your mom? Rose, I mean.”

“If it wasn’t for her, I wouldn’t stay in that house a second longer. But... She still doesn’t _get it_ , Chloe. She’s still somehow with him... even after everything. They’re both fucked up.” Rachel sighed deeply and leant her head back against the truck, “What chance do I have with a messed up dad, a mom who pretends that everything is fine when actually everything has turned to shit and... a _real_ mom who is... _was..._ a heroin addict?”

Chloe took one hand off of the steering wheel to lace her fingers with the ones stroking her thigh, “I don’t really know how to tell you this Rachel but... You are one incredibly strong force of nature. Stronger than all of them combined.  You might have little bits of each of them in you but... _no one_ is like you.” She squeezed her hand.

Rachel hummed with a sad thoughtfulness, staring out of the window. The roads were growing windier, and the crashing waves of the sea were now within earshot. Rachel changed the subject. “You weren’t kidding when you said we were going somewhere different.”

Chloe didn’t respond, instead narrowing her eyes on the trees and hills up ahead, smiling upon realizing that they’d reached her desired destination. She shut off the gas, parking at the bottom of an uphill pathway. “We’re here.”

“Okay, I know the first time I kidnapped you and took you on a little field trip in the forest was a little suspicious, but...”

“I didn’t complain, did I?” Chloe smiled at the shorter girl, opening the door of the truck as she did so. She wandered around to the passenger side, opening the door for Rachel and reaching out for her hand.

“My my, such a gentleman,” Rachel teased, taking Chloe’s hand in hers.

“Ma’am.” Chloe nodded and imitated a bow. “If you’ll follow me, please.” Rachel hopped out of the truck and grabbed her jacket as she did so upon feeling the cooler sea air. “My favourite jacket.” Chloe smiled, looking down at the dark studded jacket, pins on one side and a Union Jack flag on the other; reminiscing that night at the mill. Rachel smiled up at her, walking close to the taller girl.

“Like I said, you have good taste,” Rachel winked.

They walked up the hill through the trees, until Chloe smiled upon seeing it again for the first time in a long time.

The lighthouse.

 

_And if you're in love, then you are the lucky one,_

_'Cause most of us are bitter over someone._

_Setting fire to our insides for fun,_

_To distract our hearts from ever missing them._

_But I'm forever missing him._

 

  
They came to the top of the ocean cliff; the white brick lighthouse standing tall up ahead once they’d walked through the trees. The sky was a rose gold and sun hung low over the ocean. Chloe watched as Rachel’s eyes shone out at the view, her hair shifting gently in the ocean breeze along with her blue feather earring. “Wow, this is... That view...”

Chloe watched Rachel approach the wooden bench overlooking the cliff. Arcadia Bay didn’t seem so bad when there were sunsets, the ocean, and Rachel.

Rachel sat down, and Chloe jumped over the back of the bench to take a seat next to her, hopefully appearing vaguely smooth in her actions. Rachel sat facing the ocean; Chloe sitting side on facing Rachel holding one knee up on the bench.

“Is this where you take all the ladies?” Rachel threw Chloe a mischievous look.

“Only the ones who like to start forest fires and smash salad bowls through dinner tables.” Rachel gasped at Chloe feigning offence; pushing Chloe with her elbow.

“Sounds like they’d be the ones who’d show you the best time,” Rachel winked, smiling curiously at her. “Even if they are crazy.”

“’Crazy hot.’” Chloe rested her head on her knee, looking over at Rachel as she stared out into the horizon and at the sunset up ahead. Hazel green eyes smiled out at the view, her lips pink and her blonde hair moving gently with the sea air. She noticed Rachel bite down gently on her bottom lip, as if she was pausing on what to say next. “Are uh... are you okay?”

Rachel sighed with a hint of frustration. “Chloe.... I... I mean. We...” She averted her eyes to the ground, “So much has happened. These past couple of weeks have been a total...”

“Shitstorm?”

“I was gonna say whirlwind but... yeah. Shitstorm too.” She smiled at the familiar bluntness of the taller girl sat next to her. “Setting aside my dad, the lies, that... _asshole_ who attacked me... We never really got to talk about things.”

Chloe felt her heart and mind begin to race simultaneously. “What... kind of things?”

“I think you know what I mean.”

Chloe felt her breath hitch in her throat a little, suddenly wishing that she’d paid a bit more attention to what Steph had been trying to tell her.  _Goddamn it, Steph._ She paused and looked back at the forest behind them; a hundred memories flying around her head. From the night Rachel saved her at the mill, to that first goddamn wink in the Drama Lab, to the moment she poured out her heart to Rachel in the junkyard, only for it to all break apart and be put back together again by Rachel later that night.

Lingering looks. The night on stage and the promises made among stagelights. The walk home after, and the feel of her full lips against hers for the very first time. The stars on the ceiling, and the tender, sad kisses that followed. Her own fingers stroking that damn blue feather earring. The rush to the hospital and the moments she’d thought she’d lost her.

The look on her face as she watched her world crash down around her, her heart breaking as she told her everything in that hospital chair.  The days that went by without a single call or text, the moment they’d finally seen each other again across campus at Blackwell. Hungry lips that devoured her own as Rachel straddled her lap. Watching Rachel enter her house before being pinned up by her up against her closed bedroom door. The teasing and the kiss that had followed that was so fleeting she wasn’t even sure it had happened. Rachel subtly made her mark on everything in her room with her fingertips, taking in every bit of it.

The taste of weed and the hazy kisses that followed as they lay on her bed; waking up to Rachel sleeping soundly on her chest and escape out of her window and into the night before Rachel’s dad knew she was there.

The silhouette of Rachel in front of her in the golden light of the Oregon sunset, looking at her with those familiar green eyes.

Before she could catch the words from her racing mind to form a response, Chloe stopped.

 

A cream coloured dress which glowed in the golden light.

 

Waves of hair which echoed that of the girl sitting next to her.

 

A floral tattoo sleeve down one arm and a monarch butterfly on the other.

 

Rachel followed Chloe’s eyes, before standing up after a few moments upon the realization. She looked down at Chloe sat on the bench, as if for reassurance; to check this was real; to check that _this_ wasn’t a lie.

Chloe smiled knowingly back up at her, nodding gently at her; blue eyes warm and full of reassurance.

It was all Rachel needed as she ran into the arms of the woman who was both a mystery and the reason behind it all.

_  
And you caused it,_

_And you caused it,_

_And you caused it_

* * *

 


	5. Track 5

**Track 5**

**[Bikini Kill - "Rebel Girl"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfPskatvJm4) **

**<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfPskatvJm4> **

* * *

 

“They make quite the pair, don’t they?” Joyce said softly to Chloe, nodding over to the booth in the corner of the Two Whales Diner where Rachel and Sera had been chatting for the past hour. Chloe had gone up to the bar to get a coffee, taking off her blue beanie and running a tired hand through her hair. Joyce was cleaning up as her shift drew to a close for the night, a dish cloth and glass in her hand. “Rachel seems like such a sweet girl.”

Chloe turned her head to look at the girl in question, smiling as she did so. Rachel was sat across the table from Sera at the end booth, Rachel’s green eyes lighting up at the stories Sera was telling her, and the ones she told in return. Chloe yawned.

“You should go home and get some rest, it’s late,” Joyce smiled at her daughter, and she noticed Chloe look across the diner at Rachel and her real mom, “You don’t have to worry, Chloe.”

Chloe kept her eyes down and fixed on her cup of coffee. “Worry about what?”

“She’s not going anywhere,” Chloe’s mom nodded her head in Rachel’s direction, “Rachel might have just met one of the most important people she will ever meet in her life, but that doesn’t change how important you are to her.”

Chloe looked up from her coffee and to her mom from across the counter, “How would you know?”

“Well, the way you two have been inseparable for the last couple of weeks is a bit of a giveaway. I haven’t seen you this happy in a long time, Chloe... it makes a nice change.” Joyce noticed Rachel looking over at them from across the diner, “That, and she keeps looking over here to see that you’re still here.” Chloe turned to look in Rachel and Sera’s direction, being met with smiling green eyes as she did so. “ _You_ made this whole thing possible for her Chloe. She will never forget what you’ve done for her.”

Chloe didn’t say anything, but looked back at Rachel with a knowing smile.

* * *

Hazy, golden morning sun poured in through her bedroom window as she lay on her bed, blowing clouds of smoke towards the ceiling. Chloe sighed to herself, thinking over all of the events which had unfolded. Rachel was definitely not wrong when she described the past couple of weeks as a whirlwind; like a tornado touching down from out of nowhere, wreaking havoc and leaving a path of destruction in its wake. Now, everything seemed calm but she couldn’t help but feel uneasy. As if it was the calm _after_ the storm instead of before.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the buzzing of her phone somewhere on the wooden floor of her bedroom. She sat up from her bed, looking around at the discarded clothes littering her floor to the right of her bed. She looked in the pocket of the same black jacket she was wearing last night, smiling down at her phone as soon as she took it out of the pocket, seeing a name across the screen which hadn’t illuminated her phone in over two weeks.

 

**_Chloe Price._**

_let me guess... i don’t suck?_

**_You really, absolutely, most certainly do not._ **

 

Chloe couldn’t stop the grin from appearing on her face as she watched those words appear on the screen, realizing at once just how much she’d missed the other girl’s name lighting up her phone. Another text from Rachel buzzed in her hand.

 

**_I just got my phone back at long last._ **

**_Did you miss seeing my name grace your phone’s presence?_ **

_i HELLA missed you_

_come over?_

**_Omw. I have so much to tell you._ **

**_Last night meant the whole world to me._ **

**_You really are my secret weapon._ **

 

Chloe smiled, shoving her phone into the pocket of her black skinny jeans and walking over to her CD player. Her eyes studied the stack of CDs as she held the cigarette between her lips to the side of her mouth. She scanned her collection and nodded to herself, satisfied with her final decision as she opened the case. She slotted the CD into the stereo and pressed play.

 

_That girl thinks she's the queen of the neighborhood_

_She's got the hottest trike in town_

_That girl she holds her head up so high_

_I think I want to be her best friend, yeah_

 

She nodded her head to the drumbeat and distorted guitar as she walked over to the mirror in the corner of her bedroom. She pressed the remaining stub of her cigarette to her lips, before taking a final drag and looking at her reflection up and down, the smoke of her cigarette clouding the view. She smiled at the blue streak in the front strands of her hair and held it between her index finger and thumb. She thought back to that day in the junkyard shack where Rachel’s eyes had lit up upon seeing her newly dyed flash of blue hair for the first time. She thought about the way her stare lingered and how her lips curled into the kind of smile that Chloe wanted to paint with hot kisses of her own lips.

She skipped to the bathroom, swinging around the doorway as she did so. As she was brushing her teeth, she looked into the mirror as she hummed along to the music playing from her bedroom. The bottle of blue hair dye sitting in the cupboard above the sink caught her eye.

Rachel’s lingering stare as she saw the blue streak for the first time.

Rachel’s slender fingers running through her hair and twiddling the blue streak around them.

Rachel’s iconic bright blue feather earring.

 

Today was definitely the day.

 

* * *

 

_Rebel girl, rebel girl_

_Rebel girl you are the queen of my world_

_Rebel girl, rebel girl_

_I think I want to take you home_

_I want to try on your clothes_

 

Chloe took in a breath to aid her courage as she placed her hand on the door handle of her bedroom. She adjusted the towel around her head, looking down at her old white t-shirt which was now stained bright blue in places. Gulping, she swung open the door of her bedroom.  Rachel was laying across the bed, classic black band tee and skinny jeans in tow. The sunlight through the window washed over her in a hazy, orange glow. Her bright green eyes were engrossed in _Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf_ , before Chloe bent down to get her attention as she reached up to whip the towel from off her head.

Curious eyes looked up and studied her from over the top of the book. It took Rachel a moment, but once she had realized, her whole face lit up at the sight of the now completely blue haired girl standing before her. She let out a gasp and threw her book to the side. Chloe gave her a smug smile, outstretching her arms victoriously. Rachel rolled over and jumped off the bed, running over to the taller girl and reaching up to wrap her arms around her neck.

 _“Holy shit.”_ Rachel took a step back, grasping at Chloe’s arms as she did so.

“Right?” Chloe smiled down at the smaller girl, feeling green eyes wander all over her face, up to her hair, and back down to her lips. Rachel clicked her fingers and motioned for Chloe to turn around with her right hand. Chloe did as she was told, spinning around on the spot so Rachel could see all of her hair for herself. The other girl titled her head to the side and raised her eyebrows, clapping in approval. “You like it then?” Chloe smiled back to Rachel’s satisfied face.

“Do I _like_ it?” Rachel paused, before something in her demeanour suddenly changed entirely. Rachel folded her arms across her chest and Chloe noticed her bite her lip, her hungry eyes raking up her body and stopping when their eyes met again. She took a step towards Chloe again to cancel out any distance between them, “I fucking _love_ it.”

Chloe reached up and stroked a strand of blue hair from her face out of nervousness. She was really hoping that after two weeks of everything from lingering looks to a heavy make-out session in her truck that the drug-like effect that Rachel had on her would slowly disappear. Evidently, she was wrong. “I’m uhh... I’m glad you appro—“

Chloe didn’t get a chance to finish that sentence.

 

_When she talks, I hear the revolution_

_In her hips, there's revolutions_

_When she walks, the revolution's coming_

_In her kiss, I taste the revolution!_

 

Full lips had crashed into her own and hands were running and grasping at her blue hair before she even had a chance to. The taller girl gasped desperately into Rachel’s mouth, stumbling backwards a little out of surprise. Rachel ensured to push herself up against her as close as possible; Chloe gripping her hands on to the black band t-shirt. She felt the smaller girl’s lips slowly part and tease her bottom lip with the tip of her tongue. Both girls’ breaths were hot and heavy and Chloe felt a wave of heat rush over her body the second she heard Rachel hum and moan softly into her mouth as their tongues met with each other fleetingly. Chloe’s arms ran up and down Rachel’s sides gently, before she pushed her slowly backwards towards the bed with a vague sense of confidence that she hadn’t really felt before. The smell of jasmine and the feeling of those familiar, full lips devouring hers finally began to get too much to bear. Just as the back of Rachel’s legs hit the mattress, Rachel parted away from Chloe’s lips breathlessly, her lips open and pink with the taste of Chloe’s lingering on them.

 

_Rebel girl, rebel girl_

_Rebel girl you are the queen of my world_

_Rebel girl, rebel girl_

_I know I want to take you home_

_I want to try on your clothes_

 

“Chloe, wait.” Rachel let out a frustrated breath, “There’s something I wanted to talk to you about.” Rachel averted her eyes away from the taller girl as she sat down on the bed behind her, taking her hand and pulling her in to sit down next to her.

Chloe’s lips felt numb and her mind continued to race a hundred miles a minute as she missed the feeling of Rachel’s lips on her own instantly. She tried her hardest to dismiss the waves of heated desire which had flooded over her. She shuffled on the end of the bed to sit closer to Rachel. “Is uh... is everything okay?”

“Yes! Everything is... everything is _amazing_ , Chloe.” Rachel bit down gently on her bottom lip in thought, “I still can’t believe what you did for me. You took me to that lighthouse and you _knew_ Chloe. You arranged me to meet my own _real_ mom and I owe you so much for that. I don’t even know how to thank you.”

“You don’t need to thank me. And you definitely don’t owe me a thing,” Chloe squeezed the other girl’s hand gently in reassurance, before looking down to her bedroom floor, “I already kind of owed you.”

Rachel turned to look at Chloe inquisitively, “What do you mean?”

“I mean that... I already kind of owed you my life.” Chloe turned her head and looked back down into eyes that were looking curiously up at her, “You have completely changed everything, Rachel. I was pretty fucked up before you literally saved me that night at the mill. I mean... I’m _still_ pretty fucked up, but it’s okay because—“

Rachel squeezed her hand back tighter in return, “—because I’m fucked up too.”

“I was going to say because I don’t feel so... _alone_ anymore.” Chloe smiled, nudging her side with her arm, “But yeah, that works too. So, what was it like meeting Sera?”

“It was... incredible. Sera told me _so_ much. About her life, about her regrets, about California...” Rachel shifted further along the edge of the bed to sit close enough to Chloe that their thighs were touching. She rested her head on her shoulder, a sad sigh escaping from her. “She’s leaving Arcadia Bay, Chloe.”

“What?”

“My dad wasn’t _totally_ lying when he told you she’d left the other night. She’s going back to California this summer, she just... made him think that she’s already gone.”

“I can see why she would, after everything that happened... but still. I’m so sorry, Rachel.” Chloe wrapped an arm around her, “When is she leaving?”

“In a couple of weeks. Chloe, she...” Rachel withdrew her head from the nook of Chloe’s shoulder and looked down at her hands in her lap, “She asked me to go with her.”

 

Chloe felt her heart plummet down to her feet.

 

Subconsciously, she shuffled away from Rachel a little on the bed, turning her head to look at her.

 

“What did you say to her?”

 

Rachel looked up to meet Chloe’s face, and Chloe immediately noticed that those hazel green eyes were full of tears.

 

One spilled down her cheek almost instantaneously.

 

That was enough of an answer for Chloe.

 

“Chloe, I...”

“Don’t.”

Blue hair flashed before Rachel’s eyes as Chloe pushed herself up from the bed, clenching her fists and walking over to the center of the room. Her back was turned to Rachel who watched her from the foot of the bed.

“Please, Chloe. It’s not—“

“—I said don’t!” Chloe’s voice shook as she spoke; she suddenly found it a bit harder to breathe as she tried to swallow the lump that had formed in her throat, “After everything... you’re just going to leave?” Rachel slowly got up from the bed as further tears fell down her face. She looked desperately to the girl across the room from her, before looking away remorsefully. “You know what? Don’t answer that.” Chloe’s voice broke as she felt a flood of sadness and rage bubble inside of her, “I think you should go.”

Rachel blinked, wiping away the tears with the back of her hand. She got up from the foot of the bed, walking over to Chloe. She stopped next to her, green eyes giving angry blue ones one final, desperate look before heading towards the door. Chloe kept her fists clenched and she didn’t move, keeping her stare on the closed door in front of her. She paced over towards her bed, grabbing the small box she kept next to it before opening up the lid and grabbing her stash.

 

_That girl thinks she's the queen of the neighborhood_

_I got news for you, she is!_

_They say she's a dyke but I know_

_She is my best friend yeah_

 

She marched over to her wardrobe, pulling off the old white t-shirt stained with blue dye, yanking it from over her head and throwing it to the floor. As she did so, she caught sight of her newly dyed blue hair in the mirror. She stopped, looking at herself with tears in her eyes. She looked back at her own reflection; from her new cobalt blue hair to her and down to her distinct collarbones and the bullet necklace around her neck; her black bra clinging to her slender body; down to her defined hipbones and black skinny jeans.

She turned to her chest of drawers on the left, opening up the top one and grabbing her new white tank top she’d recently acquired; a ram skull motif across the middle of it. She pulled it over newly dyed blue hair; her black bra visible from its oversized sleeveless sides. She grabbed her black jacket and threw it over her shoulders; popping the collar a little as she did so. She gave her reflection one last look, before climbing out of her bedroom window and jumping down to her truck in the driveway below.

Frantically turning the keys in the ignition, she paused to roll a joint before setting off. The familiar anger and loneliness which used to reside in her for so long felt like it was slowly starting to boil to the surface again. She took a long, desperate drag of the joint before turning the volume dial of her car stereo all the way up. She hit the gas; reversing out of the driveway at a speed which kicked up gravel and dirt.

Everyone always fucking leaves.

 

_Rebel girl, rebel girl_

_Rebel girl you are the queen of my world_

_Rebel girl, rebel girl_

_I know I want to take you home_

_I want to try on your clothes_

 

_Love you like a sister, always_

_Soul sister, blood sister_

_Come and be my best friend, really_

_Rebel girl_

_I really like you, I really want to be your best friend_

 

_Be my rebel girl_

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for reading, hope you are enjoying the ride <3 it might be a bit bumpy right now, but I can promise you it'll all be worth in the end...


	6. Track 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, thank you SO much for all your comments and for all the feedback so far. I am loving every minute of writing this, so hearing other people love it too is an amazing bonus. Thank you! <3 I felt a little unsure about this chapter initially, and spent a while changing some things. I hope you enjoy the ride... ;)

**Track 6**

**[First Aid Kit – “Rebel Heart”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48ztymZHA_w) (song recommended by @[Firuflies](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Firuflies/profile) - thank you!)**

**[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48ztymZHA_w ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48ztymZHA_w) **

 

**This chapter is a small nod to a short AmberPrice poem I wrote on here a little while back.**

**It's called[Notice Me](https://archiveofourown.org/works/13505091) - <https://archiveofourown.org/works/13505091> **

 

* * *

 

Rachel Amber had always been fascinated by people.

She was fascinated by the way they spoke, the words they chose and the way their mind’s worked. She was fascinated by how they acted; the things they loved; the things they hated. She would notice the little things about people; fascinated by the small details of their unique qualities and mannerisms.

Chloe Price was no exception.

In fact, the only way in which Chloe Price _was_ the exception, was in the way that she had fascinated Rachel Amber like no one else ever had.

Rachel could remember the first time she saw Chloe as if it were yesterday.

Freshman year, 2008.

The day was memorable for a number of reasons. It was the beginning of fall right after the summer that her family had packed up and left everything behind in Long Beach, California to live in Arcadia Bay, Oregon. She had just closed her locker door and taken out her books for her first classes. Dana Ward and Juliet Watson were two girls who took a liking to her from the beginning; they stood leaning next to her locker, chatting to each other about their summer and getting to know each other after recently starting at Blackwell Academy. Rachel smiled at them and she could tell that they were quickly becoming instant friends. Her thoughts were interrupted as she heard a locker door slam shut across the corridor.

It was the first time she ever saw those unmistakeable blue eyes.

_You told me once I have a rebel heart_  
_I don't know if that's true_  
_But I believe you saw something in me that lives inside you too_  
_Now all I hear is the wind_  
_There's a storm coming through_  
_Did I misplace or forsake my love_  
_Now that I gave it to you?_

They were filled with a distinct anger and pain that Rachel could sense from across the hall. The girl stormed down the corridor, the faint sound of mocking laughter coming from Marisa Rogers following behind her. Rachel watched her head out of sight, before she jumped back to reality upon hearing the harsh ring of the morning bell. First period: English and Literature.

Rachel headed to class with her on her mind.

Rachel took a seat at her desk, third row from the front, almost center of the classroom. She held her pencil to her lips in thought; taking in her surroundings and watching Mrs. Hoida introduce the lesson at the front of the room. Despite English being one of Rachel’s favorite classes, she couldn’t stop her mind wandering back to the mystery girl that had crashed through the corridor with a rage in her eyes.

The door flew open as if on cue, the same girl bursting into the classroom.

“...how nice of you to join us, Ms. Price,” Mrs. Hoida rolled her eyes at the late newcomer. “Please take a seat, Chloe.”

Rachel felt the air rush by her as the girl stormed past, sitting a few desks behind.

_Chloe Price._

The first few months at Blackwell flew by for Rachel Amber. She excelled in all of her classes and all of the students at Blackwell seemed to flock around her and fawn over her, always asking her to hang out, always telling her their life stories, always telling her how cool her clothes were or how much they liked her hair that day.

All of the students, except for Chloe Price.

Perhaps it was always that mystery around the other girl that drew Rachel in from the very start; the mystery of why every student seemed to notice her, _except_ Chloe.

_I don't know what it is that makes me run_  
_That makes me wanna shatter everything that I've done_  
_Why do I keep dreaming of you?_  
_Why do I keep dreaming of you?_  
_Is it all because of my rebel heart?_

Rumours quickly spread around the angry, rebellious girl. Victoria Chase was quick to tell everyone just how fucked up Chloe Price was after her dad had died. Taylor Christensen was eager to let all students know she was on drugs. Rachel noticed how Chloe liked to smoke in the parking lot, storm across campus with her headphones in, and skip class on a regular basis. She continued to watch her from afar, her curiosity around the other girl forever growing despite the bad reputation Chloe had for herself.

Time went by. Rachel’s grades continued to rise. Friendships continued to blossom.  Short-lived relationships and meaningless first kisses came and went.    

Rachel longed for something more.

One memorable day during sophomore year, Rachel had been passing by Chloe’s locker as she walked down the hall when something caught her eye. The girl’s locker door was covered in graffiti, punk rock posters and... a photograph of a grey and white cat. Rachel smiled instantly upon seeing the adorable photo. Chloe had her headphones in and turned around at that exact moment, catching Rachel smiling. She slammed her locker shut, frowning at Rachel with an intense glare before storming off in the other direction. Rachel had felt guilty instantly, realizing that her smile probably reminded Chloe of the mocking faces of the other students who taunted her every day. Rachel Amber probably stood for everything that Chloe Price hated.

It was around this time that Rachel’s seemingly perfect life began to crack, and around the time she _knew_ something was going on with her dad. Ever since they had moved from California, his behaviour and the way he treated both her and her mom had changed. The day after she had seen the text from the unknown number on his phone, she had been sitting on the grass with her friends as the early spring sun shone over the grounds of Blackwell. Juliet had been indulging them all about her crush on Zachary Riggins, before Rachel had heard enough and needed to clear her head; full of uncertainty and doubt and frustration of the seemingly perfect pedestal she was sat upon. She walked across campus looking for a place to be alone for one _fucking_ second, ignoring the confused voices of her friends calling after he as she left.

That was when she saw Chloe walking up ahead.

She fiddled with the sleeve of her red flannel shirt, feeling a strange foreign nervousness that she wasn’t used to. She called out her name softly, hoping the other girl would hear.

She did not.

Rachel quickly realized that the girl in question had both headphones in with her music blaring. She watched Chloe walk over to Eliot Hampden; a tall, vaguely alternative, kind of geeky guy who sort of gave Rachel the creeps. She stopped when she realized that Rachel Amber was probably the last person Chloe Price wanted to speak to right now, but suddenly she recognized the song blasting from her headphones. Her eyes widened.

_Firewalk._

The whole thing had been a complete gamble right from the start but Rachel felt that somehow, that night was _meant_ to happen.

Blue eyes met green, and suddenly everything else was history; it was the two of them against the world.

* * *

Even now as she lay in bed, her eyes stinging with tears, the whole thing felt like it was _meant_ to be. She stared up at the ceiling, listening to the music play softly across her bedroom; the room dimly lit by the warm lamp on her desk. She picked up her phone and stared at it blankly before dropping it back down onto the duvet. Right now, she hated herself for making Chloe feel the way that she had. The anger in those blue eyes and the pain in her voice was something Rachel had been determined to never be the cause of. Everything had happened so fast; from finally meeting Sera to being back in Chloe’s room the next day. Rachel’s whole world was upside down, and now she was afraid she’d ruined the only thing that seemed right.

_Tell me why do I keep trying_  
_To be someone I'll never be_  
_I keep seeing her in everyone_  
_Everyone but me_  
_But I know you truly saw me_  
_Even if just for a while_  
_Maybe that's why it hurts now_  
_To leave it all behind_

Rachel breathed a shaky sigh as she stared at the empty space next to her in bed. She looked over to the makeshift torch nightlight that Chloe had made for her. Pushing herself up from the bed, she reached over for it and looked down at it in her hands. She shut off the lamp on her desk to make her bedroom completely dark and gulped before clicking the switch of the torch, placing it on her nightstand. She lay back down on her bed. The stars among the purple haze of her ceiling twinkled and floated above Rachel as she lost herself in thought.

She thought back to that very first day she ever set her eyes on Chloe Price and the chapters that unfolded between them right up to just a few hours ago. From the moment they locked eyes at the mill, to Rachel watching Chloe’s curious eyes try to avoid travelling all over her topless body in the drama club dressing room. From the moments they shared on that train together, to Chloe begging Rachel not to leave as she _knew_ there was something special between them. From the lingering looks in the truck to the stagelit confessions. The kisses that followed, the teasing, the longing and the fire that burned between them.

Yes, people fascinated Rachel.

And yes, Chloe fascinated her like no other.

And yes, maybe that was why she found herself picturing Chloe right now, trying her best to ignore the arousal pooling between her legs.

_I don't know what it is that makes me run_  
_That makes me wanna shatter everything that I've done_  
_Why do I keep dreaming of you?_  
_Why do I keep dreaming of you?_  
_Is it all because of my rebel heart?_  
_Is it all because of my rebel heart?_

 

She thought of those angry blue eyes that had always looked at Rachel with a distinct mix of nervousness and hope. She thought of the safety of her arms that held her on the same bed just a couple of weeks prior. She thought of her slender fingers and soft lips, and how she had been surprised at how soft both aspects of Chloe were considering her rough outward appearance, and how her pastimes ranged from smoking and drinking to fixing up old trucks in junkyards.

She thought of the dark night as they wandered beneath the streetlights of that quiet road. How her whole mind and body buzzed as she relished the feeling after performing on stage, and the gentle fire that suddenly erupted between her and Chloe the first time their lips had touched.

She thought of that breathless, happy _“yeah”_  that escaped the taller girl’s mouth as she reached up and pressed her full lips on hers for the second time. Harder, faster; her hands clutching her face as Chloe stroked up and down her sides.

Rachel bit down on her bottom lip as her mind ran rampant.

She thought of that afternoon in the junkyard when Chloe had been her escape from Blackwell after two weeks of not being in each other’s presence. The way Chloe’s eyes had looked up at her as she straddled her lap made her yearn to get closer still; to cave to the desire she had harboured for so long. It had been one of those rare times that Rachel hadn’t been able to properly decipher the look on the other girl’s face. She did, however, notice Chloe lean in to her neck and relish her scent.

Rachel had only wished for her to kiss at her neck instead.

She gripped at the hem of her shorts as suddenly even the thin material of the clothes she slept in began to feel too warm. She placed her own soft hands on the flat of her stomach beneath her t-shirt, before slowly running them sideways to grip down at her defined hips in frustration.

_Fuck._

Rachel kicked at the duvet cover. It was a failed attempt to calm the heat that seemed to be washing over her in waves. Truth be told; she was no stranger to this feeling, and she was no stranger to the rebel girl clouding her mind in a thick fog of desire as her hand ventured below the waistband of whatever she was wearing on her bottom half at the time. This time though, the tension between the two of them coupled with the pain and anger bubbling inside Rachel now felt so intense, that she was almost certain that she could spill over the edge just by touching herself through the thin fabric of her shorts.  

And yes, it was probably very wrong for her body to react in such a way, considering how they had left things.

But right now, the hum of desire made her throb in a way which she knew would let her forget everything, even if it was only for a moment.

Lingering looks from blue eyes that travelled over her body.

Long, slender fingers that gripped at her hips and ran up and down the sides of her shirt.

Kisses that always left her wanting more, and the way she could feel Chloe melt right before as her tongue slipped between full lips before departing, breathlessly.

Rachel’s eyes stayed fixed on the star covered ceiling as she slowly lifted her t-shirt up to expose her bare skin. Her left hand travelled and sat over the curve of her breast; her right hand cautiously dipped below the waistband of her shorts.

 

_Is it all because of my rebel heart?  
Is it all because of my rebel heart?_

 

She gasped at the contact, the arousal and heat evident from the moment she touched herself where she needed it the most.

Her lips parted in a gasp as she closed her eyes and imagined blue hair travelling down her body, those eyes filling her imagination and driving her wild. She imagined those supple, slender hands splayed out across her torso as they made their way down to the ache between her legs. Rachel let out a shaky breath as the hum of desire took over her body. She pressed harder with her right hand, grasping at her breast with her left. She brought her own fingers up to taste herself, imagining that her tongue and lips were tingling from the taste of the other girl rather than herself. She slipped her hand down once more, fingers entering and pushing hard enough to make her back arch; she brought up her left arm to cover her mouth in an attempt to stifle a moan. The bittersweet air of relief rushed over her body.

Afterwards, she lay in bed and tried to ignore the empty feeling sweeping over her.

As much as her body had yearned for the touch of the other girl and how she longed to feel her in ways that made everything ache, they had only ever kissed. Now, she wasn’t even sure that even that would ever happen again if she was to leave Arcadia Bay for California with Sera.

Her train of thought was swiftly interrupted by her phone buzzing on her nightstand. She rolled onto her side and reached over to pick it up.

 

_**RACH!!! You better be coming to mine to get ready on Friday girrrl** _

Rachel let out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding. It was Dana, and she really shouldn’t have expected it to be Chloe anyway. She frowned, realizing that the end of year ‘Blackwell Ball’ was literally right around the corner. Usually, she _longed_ for this night. Right now though, she couldn’t have felt less excited if she had tried.

 

**_Be there, or be square_ **

**_Not that you could EVER be a square_ **

_I wouldn’t miss it!_

 

Placing her phone back on her nightstand, she let out a sad exhale. Her mind switched to the events of the afternoon; her telling Chloe about Sera; telling Chloe that Sera had asked her to leave Oregon with her. The anger within Chloe erupted so rapidly that Rachel didn’t even get a chance to explain or talk about all the things Sera had told her. _Fuck you, Chloe._ She had been dreaming of an escape out of Arcadia Bay for so long. But now, suddenly her train had rolled up unannounced and she felt like a person lost; unsure whether this was the train they were meant to take. She shifted to lie on her back.

Green eyes took a final look up at the stars floating on her ceiling, before falling asleep in her empty bed. She dreamt of the open road; the blue hair of the girl in the driver’s seat moving gently in the wind.

_Nothing matters, all is futile_  
_And it's fading fast_  
_I fell so hard, so blindly_  
_Had to come back and find me_  
_I wanted you so much, so freely_  
_Now I have to take it back_  
_Nothing matters, all is futile_  
_And it's in the past_


	7. Track 7

**Track 7**

**[The Cranberries - Linger](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6Kspj3OO0s) **

**<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6Kspj3OO0s> **

* * *

“Oh my gosh, Dana. you look _incredible_.”

Juliet gushed as Dana stepped out of the dressing room, a long lilac dress clinging to her subtle curves. She smiled broadly at her friend, “You like it?”

“I _love_ it.” Juliet got up from the seat and adjusted the back of the other girl’s dress, “Logan is going to _freak_ when he sees you tonight. What do you think, Rachel? Uh... Rach?”

Rachel stared blankly into space as she sat on the dressing room stool; her head resting in her hands.

“Um, Earth to Rachel?” Dana waved in front of sad green eyes. “Anyone home?”

“Huh?” Rachel sprung back into the present, looking up at Dana before her mind caught up, “Oh, right. Sorry. Your dress looks great, Dana.”

“Kari Price has messed her up good, by the looks of it.” Another one of the store dressing room curtains was thrown open, revealing Victoria in a mid-length pastel peach lace dress. She sauntered over to the three girls, “Glad to see you’re all getting ready for the big night!”

“Her name is Chloe...” Rachel muttered back to her angrily under her breath. She could feel the rage bubble beneath the surface of her skin at the sound of her words; Victoria Chase was the last person she wanted to see or hear right now, and _of course_ she just happened to be buying a dress at the same store Juliet, Dana and her had gone to. _Fuck Arcadia Bay._ She balled her fists in her lap.

“What was that, Rach?” Victoria asked her innocently.

“I said...” Rachel stood up, her eyes dark. “Her name... is _Chloe._ ”

“Whatever.” Victoria waved her off, oblivious to the resentment in the other girl’s voice, “She’s obviously got you all kinds of effed up,”

Dana noticed the unmistakable anger in Rachel’s eyes. “Hey, uh... Victoria? Maybe you should drop it—“

“—What kind of drugs has she got you hooked on, Rach?” Victoria ignored her and looked at Rachel, feigning concern and putting a hand on her shoulder, “I mean, you must be on _something_ if you’re hanging out with _her_.”

Rachel hastily pushed the other girl’s hand away from her shoulder, “You wanna talk about _drugs_ Victoria? Maybe we should talk about what you were doing in the dressing room that night of The Tempest.” Her tone was defiant, and full of warning.

“Oh _relax_ , Rach.” Victoria turned to walk out of the dressing rooms and away from the three girls, “Sheesh, your psycho fuckup of a girlfriend is really rubbing off on you.”

Rachel stormed forward, her fists clenched at her sides and eyebrows crossed in a deep frown, “Take that back.”

“Which part? The fact that she’s a psycho fuckup?” Victoria turned around to face Rachel, folding her arms across her chest. She narrowed her eyes curiously. “Or the girlfriend part?”

Dana and Juliet shuffled awkwardly, looking at Rachel to answer. Rachel stopped, glaring at Victoria as her fists stayed firmly at her sides. She thought over Victoria’s words which felt like darts flying through the air and straight towards her heart. The frown of Rachel’s brow disappeared and her eyes looked towards the ground.

“All of it.” Rachel replied, her tone flat and full of sadness.

“Oh? So she’s _not_ a psychotic fuckup?” Victoria’s eyes widened with false surprise.

“No...”

“...and she’s _not_ your girlfriend? I mean, the way you two practically confessed your love for each other on stage—“

“—I said **no**!” The fire had returned to Rachel’s eyes as her voice echoed loudly throughout the store dressing room. Her heart beat loudly inside her chest as the rage boiled all over her body and the agonizing feeling of missing  the blue haired person in question flooded over her. All three sets of eyes widened and looked to Rachel, shocked at the anger in the voice of someone they had always seen as the epitome of perfect.

Victoria’s mouth hung open in shock, “Could have fooled me...”

Rachel stormed past her and headed out of the dressing room, Dana calling after her with concern in her voice. She ignored them. Passing through the racks of clothes, she headed back out onto the street; her heart pounding. The early summer sun glared down on Arcadia Bay. Rachel bent down and held onto her knees, drawing in deep breaths as she felt as if the world was closing in around her. The thoughts racing through her mind were thick with the fog of uncertainty, guilt and anger; thick with the fog of blue hair and a yearning to see the face and hear the voice of a girl she had been missing so much.

“Rachel?” A friendly voice from up ahead called her name.

Steph Gingrich.

“Are uh... are you okay?” Steph approached her cautiously, adjusting the brim of her beanie.

Rachel looked up at her, her eyes glistened wet with tears, “I... I don’t know, anymore.”

Steph panicked; not used to the sight of Rachel Amber looking as vulnerable and lost as she did right now. She fiddled with the sleeve of her t-shirt. “Do you... wanna go grab a soda or something?” She nodded her head in the direction of the Two Whales Diner down the street.

Rachel looked at the nervous concern on the other girl’s face, before looking back down to the ground. She nodded her head without saying a word.

* * *

The air inside the diner was hazy as music played softly from the jukebox in the corner; the smell of fried bacon and eggs filled the air. Steph and Rachel took a seat in an empty booth; Rachel’s eyes never looking up from the table. Steph watched her from across the booth, leaning forward and twiddling her thumbs on the table.

“Rachel!” The warm voice of Joyce Price made both girls jump, “What a lovely surprise.”

“Hi, Mrs. Price,” Rachel tried her best to put on a smile.

“Now, now. I told you to call me Joyce,” Chloe’s mom brought her notebook out from the pocket of her apron, “Now, what can I get for you and...?”

“Steph,” the brunette smiled up at Joyce, imitating a salute with her fingers, “Steph Gingrich. I go to Blackwell with Chloe too or... did when she was there, at least.”

“I wish she still was,” Joyce sighed, disdain evident in her voice, “That girl hasn’t left her bedroom all week.”

Rachel felt the guilt rush over her in waves.

“Is she okay?” Steph looked up to Joyce before looking at Rachel. Rachel averted her sad eyes away from her and looked back down at the table.

“I hope so. She just... gets like this sometimes. Especially after everything that has happened recently. The past couple of years have been really hard on her... well. On both of us really.”  Joyce sighed, before beaming a warm smile at the two girls in the diner booth, “I’m sure she’ll be fine as long as she has friends like you two.”

Steph couldn’t help but throw a discreet smirk at Rachel, “I’ve heard Rachel has been _particularly_ helpful.”

Rachel’s eyes widened at the girl sitting across from her.

“She sure has,” Joyce placed a reassuring hand on Rachel’s shoulder, “You two should come over this weekend and surprise Chloe. I’m sure she’d love the company.”

“Sounds like a plan, Mrs. Price.” Steph nodded up at her. Rachel continued to not say a word, but did her best to smile back at the woman who was currently making the guilt inside her double in size.

“Great! Maybe you could all go and see a movie or something? _Anything_ to get her out of that  damn room of hers.” Joyce put her pencil to the notebook, “Now, what can I get for you two?”

“I’ll grab a lemonade,” Steph noticed the sad eyes of the girl sitting across the table who’d also happened to completely ignore the question as she stared into space, “make that two lemonades please, Mrs. Price.”

“Please, call me Joyce.” The older woman smiled and placed the notebook back in her apron, noting the distant look on Rachel’s face. She bit her lip, giving Rachel a concerned look before leaving the booth to fetch the drinks.

The air between Rachel and Steph was silent as Rachel continued to stare out the window with her head in her hands. Steph bit down on her bottom lip for a few moments before breaking the silence.

“So, I’m gonna take a wild guess here... but judging from _that_ interaction with Chloe’s mom, I’m guessing something _might_ have happened between you and Chloe?”

Rachel didn’t answer.

“Trouble in paradise, huh?”

“What?” Rachel cast a look at Steph.

“I mean, you two have been more or less inseparable lately, even though you weren’t supposed to be...”

“What do you mean?” Rachel’s voice was quiet.

“Chloe told me about your curfew...”

Rachel returned her gaze back to staring at the passing world outside the diner window, before exhaling wistfully. They were briefly interrupted as their glasses of lemonade were placed down in front of them. Rachel held her straw in her mouth as she paused. “I think I’ve fucked everything up.”

Steph looked at the lost look in the green eyes across from her. She felt the clamminess in her palms as the awe of sitting across from Rachel failed to leave her. She coughed, trying her best to hide any sign of awkward nervousness, “What makes you say that?”

Rachel ignored the question. “Has Chloe... ever spoke about me?”

Steph looked back at her with a mixed look of surprise and confusion, “Well... yeah. I mean, obviously?”

“’Obviously’?”

Steph laughed lightly, reminiscing of the talk she’d had with Chloe on campus the same day as The Tempest, and the revelations that had come to light in her dorm room. She took a long sip of lemonade. “Yup. Your name has come up a few times in conversation...”

Rachel looked down to her drink, fiddling with the straw. “Have you spoken to her at all this week?”

“No, actually.” Steph looked at lost green eyes and found it increasingly hard to get used to the sight of a forlorn Rachel Amber sitting in the seat opposite her. In the past, the conversation between her and Rachel had ranged from technicalities and vague advice regarding school, to Steph awkwardly tripping over her words in a brief passing conversation. Still, she knew that Rachel wasn’t ready or particularly willing to open up a whole lot right now. “Look, Rachel... I don’t know what’s going on between you and Chloe. Hell, I don’t even know if _either of you_ know what is going on. All I know is that both of you are like... crazy individual forces of nature. An Elf Barbarian and a Halfling Bard on an otherworldly campaign with only each other in their sights—“

“—say what?” Rachel cocked a curious eyebrow at Steph.

“What I mean is... _talk_ to her.”

Rachel scoffed.

“I know. Sounds ridiculous right?” Steph rolled her eyes, quickly realizing that the girl sitting in front of her was just as bad as the stubborn blue-haired girl who had been sat on her bed a short time ago. The one who swatted her with her comic book and poked her in the shin with her foot if she pried too much. “You are both as stubborn yet both as head over heels as each other, it’s kind of infuriating.”

Rachel smiled briefly, before taking a final sip of lemonade. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said, coyly. “But... maybe you have a point.”

“Maybe I do...” Steph passed a knowing smile across to the girl opposite her, the nervousness inside her finally beginning to subside. She drank the last of her lemonade. “Are you... feeling a bit better now?”

Rachel nodded, smiling warmly at the girl opposite her.

Steph couldn’t help the vague fluttering she felt in her stomach as the warmth returned to the face of the girl across from her. “We better get back to Blackwell, I’ve got to help with the finishing touches for the Blackwell Ball tonight. You’re coming, right?”

“I wouldn’t miss it,” Rachel got up from her seat, before averting her eyes to the ground and fiddling with the sleeve of her flannel shirt, “I just wish that Chloe... I mean, I know she doesn’t even go to Blackwell anymore, but...”

“Missing a date?” Steph smiled at her sympathetically as she got up from the booth. Rachel shrugged. “Don’t worry, I’ll pay for the drinks.”

“Thank you, Steph. For everything.”

“No big deal, it was only lemonade afterall—“

She froze as Rachel Amber swiftly placed a kiss on her cheek.

“I can see why Chloe thinks you’re so cool.” Rachel swivelled on her heels to head for the exit, before looking back around to Steph who appeared somewhat frozen to the spot, “I’ll see you tonight?”

Steph stayed rooted to the spot, trying her hardest to look like a person whose stomach had _definitely not_ plummeted to the floor and whose cheek was _definitely not_ burning at the gesture.

“Uh... sure thing!” She waved back, knowing full well that she probably couldn’t look like more of a dork even if she tried.

After a few moments, and after Rachel had left the diner in what seemed like a flash of blonde hair and a wave of her hand, Steph readjusted; pulling down at her red t-shirt and shaking her head back to reality. She approached the bar of the diner with a smile spread across her face. She reached for an envelope in her pocket.

“Oh, don’t be silly. The lemonade is on the house.” Joyce approached her with a hospitable smile.

“Gee, thanks Mrs. Price.” Steph smiled back, “Hey. I was wondering, could you give this to Chloe please?” She handed the envelope over to Joyce.

“Of course. May I ask what it is?”

Steph grinned, knowingly.

“Just a little something to hopefully get her out of that bedroom of hers.”

* * *

“I can’t believe Rachel Amber kissed you on the cheek.” Mikey nudged his friend, “I wonder what Chloe would have to say about that.”

“Listen, dude. It was purely platonic... but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t freaking awesome.” Steph smiled at her friend, putting an arm around his shoulder, “Nice suit, by the way.”

Mikey smiled, adjusting his green bow tie, “I was going to say the same to you.”

“Thanks,” Steph popped the collar of her trim blazer, lifting up her head with pride.

“I didn’t think the girl’s were allowed to wear suits? Tradition and everything?”

“That’s where it pays off to help out with things like this and be the Event Technician for tonight.” Steph grinned, “I mean, I wouldn’t want to ruin a dress by grovelling around with wires and stuff on the floor, would I?”

“Well... that, and why would you want to wear a dress when you rock a suit better than most of the guys here?” Mikey beamed at his friend as she nudged him with her elbow.

“Says you, Mr. Suave!” The two friends laughed, looking at the hall around them.

Lights twinkled around the walls, floor and ceiling of the large hall at Blackwell. The music played softly as students began to filter in, couples walking in hand-in-hand while groups of friends greeted each other and danced to the music. The room was lit up by fairy lights and a stage was set up at the front, hosting both a DJ booth and a podium which was sure to bear witness to some cliché speeches and thank yous at some point in the night.

It was safe to say that most of the eyes in the room set their sights on Rachel Amber as soon as she walked into the hall.

Her black dress spilled down and around her hips; the neckline dipping just low enough to subtly accentuate her curves in all the right places. The bottom half of the dress flared out slightly; stopping some way above her knees. Her black heels were subtle, but highlighted her toned legs in all the right ways. Her blonde hair moved gently over her shoulder; one side pushed behind her ear which withheld her statement bright blue earring. Her green eyes glinted with the shine from the lights sparkling around the dark hall; her dark eye make-up contrasting with the subtle pink red lipstick which highlighted her full lips. Her blue bracelet sat firmly around her wrist.

Rachel walked in alone, all too aware of the various sets of eyes gazing over at her. She smiled and waved over at Steph and Mikey from across the hall before spotting both Dana and Juliet by the punch bowl.

 _“Damn.”_ Steph and Mikey’s mouths were agape in unison.

“Rach!” Dana’s eyes lit up as she saw Rachel approach her, “Dayummm. You look ridiculous. Like, _ridiculously_ hot.”

“Thanks girl,” Rachel winked, “You don’t look half bad yourself. I think Logan Robertson over there agrees with me.”

Dana turned her gaze to Logan and Zachary who were both eying the group of girls from afar. She turned towards the punch table, filling up three cups for her, Juliet and Rachel.

“Ugh, Zachary is over there too.” Juliet fought a blush as she fiddled with her gold necklace. She took a sip of punch, “Is my dress too pink? I feel like I totally chose the wrong color.”

Dana turned to her friend and brushed a stray strand of light brown hair behind her  ear, “You look _incredible_ , Juliet.”

Juliet’s eyes met her friend’s and a smile spread across her lips. Rachel looked at them both curiously over the top of her cup, “Looks like those guys have competition with the way you give each other bedroom eyes.”

Juliet laughed, putting her arm around Dana’s lilac dress to rest on her hip, “Damn right.”

“Evening ladies!” Victoria glided into the middle of the three girls, twirling on the spot ensuring she showed off her dress. Taylor Christensen followed close behind her, “May I just say, you all look _marvellous_ tonight.”

Dana discreetly rolled her eyes before forcing a smile at Victoria. Of course, Juliet was always much more welcoming towards her. “Hey Victoria, you look great!”

Rachel let out a sigh beneath her breath, quickly remembering the rage that Victoria had taunted and prodded at earlier on that day. She turned to leave, but was stopped by a hand on her bicep.

“Hey, Rach?” Victoria smiled cautiously at her, “I’m sorry for that mess in the dressing room today. You’ve been through a lot lately, y’know? Wanna have a drink?” Victoria leaned forwards, subtly bringing out a hipflask from her bra, “And don’t worry. I know what you’re thinking... it’s _totes_ fine, I swear.” She poured the clear liquid into her red cup of fruit punch before taking a gulp, “Just vodka, see?”

Rachel’s eyes widened as she raised her eyebrows at the girl. “Damn, has Victoria Chase gone rogue?” She tried her best to blink away the memories of Chloe saying those exact words to her in the drama lab just weeks beforehand. She paused in thought, before holding her cup of punch towards Victoria, “Sure.”

Victoria smiled, pouring the vodka into Rachel’s punch. Just as she finished pouring, Juliet snatched the hipflask from her hands, “You know what would be _much_ more fun?” She turned around to the bowl of fruit punch, pouring the vodka in. “ _Now_ it’s a party.”

The girls laughed among themselves as the lights twinkled and danced around them.

The song changed as Rachel slipped away from her friends and headed over towards Steph and Mikey, who were both standing near the edge of the stage below the DJ booth. Mikey was the one to notice her first, “Oh man, Steph! Halfling Bard incoming, 2 o’clock.”

“Dude! _Act. Cool._ ”

“’Act cool’?! Rachel Amber is coming over here, like, right now, Steph. And she’s looking right at you.”

“Okay, Mikey. _Not_ helping.”

The pair of them did their best to act as casual as possible, Mikey coughing nonchalantly and Steph adjusting her black bowtie as Rachel approached them.

“Hey guys.”

Mikey’s eyes were wide. “Oh! Uh... um, hi Rachel.”

“Hey,” Steph smiled, suppressing her awkward nerves much more successfully than her friend.

Rachel looked her suit up and down. “Damn Steph, I think we all know who’s going to win ‘Beau of the Ball’ this year.”

“I think I’d totally need a female counterpart to win ‘Belle of the Ball’ for that to happen.” Steph fought against the blush which dared to burn her cheeks. She fiddled with the sleeve of her blazer.

“Trust me, I’m sure you’ll have no shortage of suitors after tonight.” Rachel gave her a friendly wink, before smiling at Mikey, “You scrub up well, kid.”

“Me? Scrub? Uhhhh...” Steph nudged him softly, “Thanks, Rachel.”

“You guys wanna dance?” Rachel stepped backwards, ushering them towards the center of the dance floor, “I love this song.”

_If you, if you could return, don't let it burn, don't let it fade._  
_I'm sure I'm not being rude, but it's just your attitude,_  
_It's tearing me apart, it's ruining everything._

Steph and Mikey looked at each other with a smile, before following Rachel’s cue and walking into the middle of the dance floor. Steph laughed at Mikey shuffle awkwardly at first, before he began to nod his head to the rhythm. Rachel grabbed Steph’s hand, before twirling under her arm in one swift movement. Rachel grabbed Mikey’s hand straight after, doing the same to him. He ended up spinning that little bit too much, stumbling on his feet a little as the two girls laughed at him endearingly.

Steph stopped abruptly, her eyes fixed on the entrance of the hall. She gave Mikey a knowing nudge, before he too fixed his eyes on the doorway.

Rachel eyed their faces curiously, before following their gaze.

For a moment, or perhaps several, the whole hall stopped and their eyes were fixed on the same one thing; the only sound coming from the music.

To Rachel, everything else became one with the background in an instant.

_I swore, I swore I would be true, and honey, so did you._  
_So why were you holding her hand?_  
_Is that the way we stand?_  
_Were you lying all the time?_  
_Was it just a game to you?_

Unmistakable blue hair.

Blue eyes which locked instantly with green as soon as they met each other across the hall.

Refined collarbones beneath that familiar three bullet necklace.

_But I'm in so deep. You know I'm such a fool for you._  
_You got me wrapped around your finger_  
_Do you have to let it linger?_  
_Do you have to, do you have to, do you have to let it linger?_

Rachel felt her heart drum harshly against her chest as she took in the sight of the person who somehow seemed to hold all of the answers from day one. Her eyes trailed down the girl’s body from afar.

A blue striking dress which echoed not only Chloe’s hair, but the bracelet which clung to Rachel’s wrist and the blue feather earring that hung firmly in place from Rachel’s left ear. Chloe’s dress clung to her slender body and highlighted curves that Rachel knew that even she hadn’t laid eyes on before. Rachel bit down on her bottom lip at the realization, a somewhat new sense of desire washing over her at the girl in question. The dress faded to a slight purple towards the end, flaring to stop a way above her knees. Rachel smiled upon seeing those classic black boots that Chloe had taken to wearing; no heels to be seen here. The dress was short enough to show her long, slender legs regardless.

_Oh, I thought the world of you._  
_I thought nothing could go wrong,_  
_But I was wrong. I was wrong._  
_If you, if you could get by, trying not to lie,_  
_Things wouldn't be so confused and I wouldn't feel so used,_  
_But you always really knew,_  
_I just wanna be with you._

This time, it was Chloe’s turn to cross the distance between her and Rachel.

Rachel felt rooted to the spot as the taller girl made her way across the hall, every single student’s eyes fixed firmly on the blue haired punk who had been kicked out just weeks earlier.

Students whispered loudly among themselves as Chloe Price entered the hall. The seconds that passed as Chloe approached her felt like an age, causing Rachel to walk slowly forwards as her feet led automatically.

They came to a stop to face each other in the center of the hall; lights dancing around them and echoing the stars which swam around Rachel’s bedroom.

Despite Rachel’s heels, Chloe was still a good deal taller than her. She looked down at Rachel as the silence bore heavily down on them. Rachel gulped, biting her bottom lip as she tried to fix her eyes on the face of the taller girl and not on the sight of newly exposed soft pale skin which she suddenly felt an agonizing desire to paint with kisses.

Chloe stepped closer once more, taking the hands of the shorter girl’s in her own. The action held a mirror to their night under streetlights, causing them both to smile with tears stinging at both pairs of eyes.

Green eyes looked up desperately into blue.

_And I'm in so deep. You know I'm such a fool for you._  
_You got me wrapped around your finger_  
_Do you have to let it linger?_  
_Do you have to, do you have to, do you have to let it linger?_

 

Chloe cleared her throat a little; her heart beating at the feel of the soft and slender hands entwined with her own.

“Some say the world will end in fire. Some say in ice.” Chloe smiled down at Rachel before reaching a hand to stroke away stray a strand of blonde hair from the other girl’s face, “From what I’ve tasted of desire... I hold with those who favor fire.”

Before the final lines of the poem could escape Chloe’s lips, Rachel was reaching up on her toes and wrapping her arms around her neck. Rachel’s eyes took one final look into the blue ones  which had clouded her dreams for so long. She closed her eyes and let her lips press against the taller girl’s, hard. Chloe’s arms jumped slightly at the instant contact of full lips on her own, the taste and warmth of the other girl’s mouth making the hall around them disappear completely. She reached her arms around the girl’s middle, stroking her sides and running them down the back of her black dress.

_And I'm in so deep_  
_You know I'm such a fool for you_  
_You've got me wrapped around your finger_  
_Do have to let it linger?_  
_Do you have to, do you have to, do have to let it linger?_

“Yes!!!” An unknown voice from somewhere in the crowd cheered.

Somehow, it spurred an entire applause.

Chloe felt Rachel’s lips spread into a smile against her own. Rachel felt Chloe’s do the same.

Gradually, the voices of the students surrounding them returned and  the buzz of the night picked back up again; bringing them briefly back to the present. Still, their lips never parting from each other.

Both girls heard an appreciative “awwh,” come from behind them in the direction of Dana and Juliet. Mikey looked to Steph, before she nodded at him with a knowing grin. A definite “damn,” and “that’s hot,” came from the direction in which Justin, Trevor and their skater crew hung near the stage.

Rachel pulled away from Chloe, close to being breathless. Her mind was hazy, and in the best way possible. She looked up into those warm cerulean eyes and stroked at the short blue hair which fell down the taller girl’s face. Chloe’s lips were open in a gasp, longing and desperate for the other girl’s lips to make contact with her own again.

“’How would you like to join me on a little field trip?’” Chloe’s thumb gently stroked down the side of Rachel’s face.

Rachel smiled up at the other girl’s words which recited her own from when they first ditched class together. She licked her lips which tingled with the feel of Chloe’s still lingering.

“Let’s get the hell out of here.”

_You know I'm such a fool for you_  
_You've got me wrapped around your finger_  
_Do have to let it linger?_  
_Do you have to, do you have to, do have to let it linger?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any desires for the next chapter, may I ask? :P


	8. Track 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, thank you all SO much for your amazing words and kind comments. I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint, and sorry for being quiet this past week. I hope this makes up for it <3
> 
> P.S. I apologise in advance for the uh... somewhat lengthy nature of this chapter. You might want to put the recommended song on repeat... :P
> 
> P.P.S. I made a subtle nod to a TV show I recently binge watched on Netflix (which I found really REALLY reminded me of these two). Kudos to anyone who catches it ;)

**Track 8**

**[Joan Jett & The Blackhearts – “Crimson & Clover”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFyc5K2u3eU) **

**<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFyc5K2u3eU> **

 

* * *

 

Rachel placed her hand in Chloe’s, lacing their fingers together as they walked out into the warm, early summer night. The music from the Blackwell Ball slowly began to fade from earshot as they headed towards Chloe’s truck in the parking lot. Rachel couldn’t help but smile up at the taller girl and the dress she was wearing; she still wasn’t used to the sight. Crickets buzzed around them and the air between them felt warm and heavy. Chloe tried and failed to keep her eyes from travelling all over the girl walking next to her, watching how her blonde hair moved gently in the evening breeze and how breathtaking she looked in her short black dress.

Chloe’s heart was still beating hard in her chest; the nerves and adrenaline from walking into the hall full of students and walking up to Rachel still flowing through her veins. Neither girl said a word as they climbed into the truck. Chloe opened the door for Rachel, helping her in before jumping up into the driver’s seat.

Without saying a word, Rachel scooted closer to Chloe in the truck, resting her head on the taller girl’s shoulder. Chloe smiled, turning to kiss Rachel softly on the forehead before she turned the keys in the ignition.

Rachel was the one to break the silence.

“Chloe, I’m so sorry—“

“—it’s okay.”

“I never meant—“

“—it’s _okay_.” Chloe took her right hand from the steering wheel and placed it on Rachel’s thigh, realizing very quickly that she was touching bare skin where usually her hand would have landed on ripped skinny jeans. She gulped, her eyes widening at the soft skin of Rachel’s thigh beneath her fingers. She halted thoughts in their tracks as they began to race at the idea of her hand travelling that bit further up towards the hem of her dress. “For tonight let’s just... forget everything.”

“Deal.”

* * *

“Okay, now close your eyes.”

Chloe watched her as they stood outside their junkyard shack. Rachel did as she was told, smiling mischievously as she did so, “Should I be worried that by ‘field trip’, you meant picking me up from the Blackwell Ball and taking me out to the junkyard shack in the middle of the night?”

Chloe led Rachel by the hand into the hideout. “I think you mean **_our_ ** junkyard shack.”

Rachel opened her eyes, gasping happily as she looked around. Fairy lights were strung along the walls, illuminating the shack in a low, warm glow. They twinkled over the large elephant tapestry, and the previous paint cans, pallets and clutter were now gone. Chloe had put together a bench on one of the walls, which was made out of a plank of wood and cinderblocks. An old wooden cable reel sat as a table; a 6-pack of beer sitting atop of it and an old car seat across the floor. In the middle of the wall right below the elephant tapestry, were blankets, pillows and throw; acting as a makeshift bed.

Chloe reached a nervous hand up to rub the back of her neck as she watched Rachel take in the new surroundings. “I thought we could sleep here tonight, if you want. Away from curfews, lousy parents and... everything else.”

“Chloe...” Rachel turned around to look at Chloe; her bright green eyes lighting up warmly and making the taller girls heart soar, “...it’s perfect.”

“I’m glad you approve,” Chloe watched as Rachel pushed stray strands of blonde hair back behind her ear and behind the accompanying blue feather. There was no doubt that she looked truly indescribable tonight. Chloe gulped as her eyes ran over the curves accentuated by the other girl’s short black dress. “I uh... managed to sneak the beers from the stepdouche-to-be.”

“Deftly done,” Rachel reached for the bottle opener and two beers, undoing the lids and passing one to Chloe. She walked over to the portable radio, clicking it on and bringing the bottle up to her lips. She swayed along to the music; thin rays of moonlight shining over her as they crept through the gaps in the roof and the fairy lights illuminating her green eyes. Chloe’s eyes were transfixed to her, watching her every move as her black dress swung with the motions of her body. Rachel licked her lips after another gulp of beer.

Chloe took several gulps of alcohol in return and savoured the cool liquid, her eyes refusing to leave the girl who danced slowly to the music in the middle of the room.

“Come dance with me?” Rachel looked across at her, the look in her eyes somewhat unreadable in the warm but dim glow of their hideout. She held out her free hand to Chloe.

Chloe did as she was told, taking another long gulp of beer as she watched Rachel mouth along to the lyrics.

 

_Ah, now I don't hardly know her_

Chloe smiled broadly as she watched Rachel mime and serenade her, her fingers pointing at her along with the lyrics.

 

 

_But I think I can love her_

 

And yes, she was pretty sure that Rachel Amber was the only person she had met that could make finger guns look sexy.

And yes, she was very aware of the lyrics that Rachel mouthed back to her, and her cheeks burned as soon as she saw Rachel mime the words, “... ** _love_** _her_.”

She tried her hardest to hide the dorky smile that she could feel forming across her face. Chloe took another long gulp of cold beer as blue eyes refused to leave green, allowing Rachel to take her hand. She joined in on the lyrics.

_“Crimson and clover”_

 

As soon as the words of the next verse sounded, Rachel moved her body inches closer to Chloe’s, draping one arm around her neck. Chloe watched with her lips parted in a vague sense of awe as Rachel’s lips curled into a curious smile. She blinked slowly as she looked up at Chloe, bringing the beer up to her lips again and taking a sip; eyes still adamant on not leaving each other’s gaze.

 

_Ah, now when she comes walking over_

 

Chloe soon realized that that the hand that had been holding Rachel’s was now limp at her side; missing the fingers which had been filling the gaps of her own. She brought her hand up slowly, bringing it in to lay cautiously on the other girl’s hip.

 

_  
Now I've been waiting to show her_

 

Rachel stared up at Chloe with a curious look awash in her eyes, before Chloe felt her reach up on her tip toes. Rachel smiled up into cerulean blues, mimicking the lyrics as her lips ghosted over Chloe’s. The taller girl licked them without realizing; her lips became instantly dry at the feel of Rachel’s warm breath.

It was Rachel that made the distance between them disappear as she brought her hand to clasp at the side of Chloe’s face, bringing their bodies flush together in one swift movement. Chloe stumbled a little, causing Rachel to grin up at her. Rachel laughed softly before green eyes wandered down to Chloe’s open lips.

It took a few moments, but as soon as Chloe saw Rachel bite down gently on her bottom lip and her eyes flicker, she bent her head down to meet the other girl’s full lips with her own; the hunger evident from the way they crashed into each other’s mouths.

She felt Rachel gasp softly into her mouth as soon as their lips met; the taste of beer lingering on them both.

 

_Crimson and clover_

 

The hum of desire flowed over Chloe in droves. She was suddenly all too aware of how close their bodies were; how flush they were against each other and how the curves of Rachel’s breasts pushed gently into her own. The longing for more contact made her head spin. Chloe paused, almost frozen on the spot. The drumbeat of the song synced with the heartbeats that passed; as if time had slowed almost to a stop. Rachel eyed the pink flush of Chloe’s cheeks; caught the taller girl lick her lips gently. She placed her beer bottle back down on the wooden makeshift table, before bringing her hand up to brush at the blue strands of her which hung around Chloe’s face.  

“I missed you, so _fucking_ much, Chloe Price.”

Chloe averted her eyes, her skin prickling with an intense longing for the girl in her arms. She gently bit down on her bottom lip as she thought of the weeks that had passed. From the moment their eyes met at the Firewalk gig, to the way they had left things after Rachel said Sera wanted her to go to California with her. The kisses. The lingering looks. The promises they’d made. Her heart ached and her mind raced as if fighting to win a losing battle.

Rachel exhaled and furrowed her brow as she saw the lost look in Chloe’s eyes. Her hand touched Chloe’s chin and brought Chloe’s face to look back at her once again.

Chloe’s lips crashed into Rachel’s own the very moment the music picked up again.

 

_Over and over_

 

With her hand now free of the beer bottle, Rachel brought both hands to clasp at Chloe’s face; slender fingers sweeping through Chloe’s hair as she tentatively swept her tongue along Chloe’s lips. As if on cue, Chloe’s lips obeyed, accompanied by a quiet, breathy moan. As Rachel’s tongue entered her mouth, Chloe’s fingers gripped harder onto the other girl’s hip, clutching at the black dress. She became instantly frustrated at the beer she was holding, staggering a little as she reached to place it on the wooden makeshift table. Once her hand was free, she reached her left hand to bring the shorter girl in even closer, if it were possible, wrapping her arms around her waist as her hunger for Rachel grew tenfold with every sweep of the other girl’s tongue against her own. She sucked gently on Rachel’s bottom lip, savouring the faint taste of alcohol.

Ten, maybe twenty heartbeats later, she felt Rachel’s left hand leave the side of her face and run down her arm. She stopped at Chloe’s wrist, gripping around it gently.

What followed, made Chloe’s mind both go blank and run a hundred miles a minute simultaneously.

 

 

_Yeah, I'm not such a sweet thing_

 

 

Rachel guided Chloe’s hand up her dress slowly, cautiously. She paused, departing her lips from the taller girl’s before looking up into the yearning look spread across Chloe's face. As she did so, she placed Chloe’s hand over the curve of her breast.

Chloe’s hand froze on the black fabric of her dress. The newfound contact made her lips dry before she realized her mouth was hung open.

Rachel reached back up to ghost her lips over Chloe’s, teasing her.

“I’ve wanted you from the moment I saw you.”

And it was true, Chloe Price had intrigued Rachel from the second she saw her storming down the corridor during freshman year.

And without a moment of thought, Chloe took the other girl’s lips hungrily in her mouth, forcing a hum of nothing short of bliss to escape from Rachel.

The second she heard it, her hand squeezed gently over Rachel’s breast.

The low, throaty moan that escaped from the other girl was enough to cause a heat of arousal to pool between Chloe’s thighs and flood over her in waves.

In that instant, something in the air between them switched completely; as if a bell had tolled. Rachel withdrew from Chloe suddenly, looking at the surprise in Chloe’s face at the noise that had escaped from her. Rachel’s green eyes devout with hunger, her gaze dark and hooded. She took Chloe's hand, leading her towards the piles of pillows and blankets, before turning Chloe around in one swift movement.

“Sit.”

 

_I wanna do everything_

 

Chloe paused, her heart drumming harshly against her chest and her tongue dancing behind her lips. She took off her boots, swaying nervously as the fog of both alcohol and an addiction to the blonde girl stood across from her made her feel almost drunk.

She did as she was told, her eyes looking up and never leaving Rachel’s.

Everything became background noise in the minutes that followed. The fairylights turned into a hazy glow and the world outside of their nest disappeared into space.

She watched Rachel from the comfort of the blankets in a trance; she looked almost _nervous_ ; a look she hadn’t really seen in Rachel before. Chloe saw her gulp, before one of Rachel's hands reached around to the back of her black dress.

Chloe could only watch, with a patience she wasn't sure she could muster, completely dazed as her skin prickled with a combination of heat and nerves.

The noise of a zip undoing made the seconds that were bouncing between them feel like an eternity.

 

 

_What a beautiful feeling_

 

Once the zip at the back of her dress was undone, Rachel reached her hand up to one shoulder of the dress, her full lips parted slightly and her gaze set almost dream-like on Chloe. Rachel slowly slipped her black dress down the top of her arm at an agonizing pace that made Chloe want to close the distance between them immediately. Rachel reached up for the other shoulder; just as slow, just as tentative.

The black dress fell away from her shoulders, revealing only the very top of Rachel’s bare cleavage.

The sight of the other girl’s curves and milky skin caused Chloe to bite down hard on her own bottom lip.

 

_Crimson and clover_

_Over and over_

 

Rachel approached Chloe steadily, taking off her heels and kneeling down on the blankets in front of her. Instinctively, Chloe brushed a stray strand of blonde hair away from Rachel’s face as she kneeled before her; fingers following down the blue feather earring. She hesitated for a moment, before bringing her left arm up to touch at the loose shoulder of Rachel’s dress.

“You can take it off, if you like.” Rachel’s voice was quiet, almost hesitant; as if she was afraid of rushing Chloe or pushing her too far.

Chloe’s blue eyes flashed to Rachel, as if in both surprise and in looking for confirmation. Rachel nodded gently at her in reassurance.

Chloe’s breath shook preemptively. She brushed her hand cautiously over the black fabric, before clasping at the other side of Rachel’s dress with her right hand. She tugged at it lightly, before her hands began to pick up the pace as a familiar hunger began to flow under her skin. As if on cue, Rachel reached her arms up obediently over her head.

Chloe gulped at each heartbeat that passed as she lifted the dress up, her eyes flickering over every inch of newly-exposed porcelain skin.

Once free of the dress, Rachel’s green eyes set upon Chloe in a vague look of vulnerability. She reached up one hand to push her hair behind her ear, before smiling tenderly at Chloe. Chloe’s eyes took in _everything_ ; her defined collar bones; the curve and swell of her breasts against the blue lace bra; her toned stomach and dip of her hips; her blue lace underwear which disappeared down between milky thighs that Chloe suddenly longed to paint with kisses of her own lips.

Yes, she had seen Rachel in just her bra and jeans that one day in the dressing room.

But no, she had never seen her like _this_.

Chloe looked up at her with a stare which signified that she was completely spellbound.

“Rachel...” Chloe’s eyes raked up her body, slowly, “You, are so _fucking_ beautiful.”

Rachel leaned forward on her hands, moving towards Chloe as their lips met to the chorus once more. As she did so, she pushed Chloe gently backwards, before moving her own thighs to straddle the taller girl’s lap. Chloe’s arms jumped at the contact, before an instant and foreign courage overtook her. The kiss suddenly felt very different to any they had shared before; it was heavy, and made something inside Chloe flutter and sink. She gulped and let her instinct carry her as one hand stroked down Rachel’s back; down Rachel’s hip, down to sit firmly over Rachel’s backside and over her blue lace underwear, eliciting a hushed gasp from the girl on top of her. A gasp escaped from Chloe in unison, the sudden realization that Rachel’s underwear dipped into a thong making her hand freeze as she gasped at supple skin.

Rachel shifted suddenly in her lap; her hips thrusting forwards as if to close a non-existent gap between them. Instantaneously, Chloe’s other hand reached down to grab at the other side of Rachel’s underwear, hoisting her in closer and squeezing silky skin as she did so. Rachel exhaled a breathy moan against Chloe’s lips, before her eyes closed tighter as if the contact was becoming too much to bear.

She reached her hands up to Chloe’s shoulders as she guided her gently backwards to lie down on their makeshift bed. The change in their position made Chloe’s blue dress ride up slightly, resulting in Rachel straddling over the bare skin of one of Chloe's slender thighs. Her other leg laid to rest in the middle of Chloe’s; the newfound touch and warmth made both of them gasp simultaneously.

“Fuck, Rach...” Chloe’s voice was husky and low; thick with an innate want for the girl on top of her.

“You’ve never called me that before,” Rachel leaned down, crossing the distance and ghosting her lips over Chloe’s ear. She ran soft fingers up Chloe’s arms. Rachel rolled her hips once more, sliding her thigh and rocking into the girl beneath her. “Say it again.”

“ _Shit_ ,” Chloe hissed, very aware of the desire that was building in floods between her legs, “I _need_ you, Rach.”

 

_Crimson and clover, over and over_

_Crimson and clover, over and over_

 

Green eyes met blue, before Rachel's hands made their way down Chloe’s slender body; splaying out over the fabric of her dress.

“I want to see you, Chloe,” Rachel’s voice was low and almost in a whisper.

Chloe gulped, before reaching to unzip the side of her dress. Rachel placed both hands at the hem of the blue fabric, pushing it up Chloe’s smooth, pale thighs; revealing her black underwear. Rachel licked her lips intently at the view, before pushing the dress up further; revealing Chloe’s refined hipbones and flat stomach. Rachel bent her head down, placing a fleeting kiss on the inside curve of the other girl’s hip. Chloe exhaled sharply at the feel of Rachel’s full lips on her skin. Rachel giggled as Chloe leaned up awkwardly in an attempt to take the dress over off and over her head, her shoulders getting caught up in the fabric as she let out an exasperated breath. She muttered, something akin to “ _fucking dresses_ ,” under her breath. Once she was finally free, Chloe threw it off in frustration, before laying back down and folding her arms over her bare chest; clad only by her black bra.

She felt naked and exposed instantly.

“I want to see _all_ of you.” Rachel whispered, leaning over the taller girl and stroking down the messy strands of blue hair, “Is... that okay?”

The question was gentle but full of uncertainty, as if Rachel was afraid Chloe could break underneath her at any given time. 

Chloe looked up into warm, assuring green eyes. She nodded slowly, because this was _Rachel_ asking her.

And right now, nothing in the universe could match up to the way she felt about the girl who was laying on top of her.

Rachel leaned in to paint Chloe's lips with hot kisses. She felt Rachel’s hand run hungrily through her hair, grasping at it with her fingers and drawing a hushed moan from Chloe’s lips; her hips bucking upwards and into Rachel as a subconscious reaction. The heat between them was almost excruciating as Rachel slowly took one of Chloe’s bra straps down from off her shoulder. She kissed at the newly exposed pale skin, before pushing the other side of Chloe’s bra down. As if to obey a silent order, Chloe sat up a little, reaching behind her to undo the clasp of her own bra as Rachel’s green eyes widened at her motion.

The black barrier fell away, and Rachel’s eyes raked over every inch of her torso. Chloe lay back down against the blankets beneath them; her gaze focusing on the ceiling of the shack in an attempt to soothe the nerves of vulnerability as the hot air hit her newly-exposed chest.

“Fuck, Chloe...” Rachel slid a splayed hand up over Chloe’s taut body as the taller girl lay beneath her, one hand brushing across Chloe’s flat stomach. Rachel’s other hand stroked upwards and took in every bit of soft skin, as it ran up her stomach, to her ribs, before laying to rest over the subtle curve of a breast.

The second that slender fingers ghosted and brushed over a nipple caused Chloe’s mouth to drop open and her breath exhale to form the beginning of a _“shit_.” 

The word never managed to fully escape her lips as Rachel reached down to devour her own once more. Rachel’s tongue swept across Chloe’s lips, her mouth nipping and sucking with an intense need that was almost overbearing. Chloe clasped her hand over the top of Rachel’s which sat firmly pawing her breast. She felt fingers brush and pinch simultaneously; teasing her nipple and causing the heat to boil beneath her skin. For a second, Rachel’s lips departed from her own frustratingly quickly, before she realized that Rachel was painting kisses down the side of her face, up to her ear, before trailing down her jawline.

The second Rachel's full lips met the skin of Chloe's neck was the precise moment that she felt Rachel trail a hand that bit further down her abdomen. It laid to rest in the shallow dip just above the black material of her underwear.

The moan that escaped from Chloe’s lips as she felt teeth graze against her neck was throaty and unexpected. Her eyes closed tightly, before opening to look back up. Rachel had left the tingling skin of her neck abruptly, and was looking down at Chloe from above; her blonde hair falling around her face and causing her hooded gaze to become even more unreadable. While Rachel held Chloe’s gaze from above, she grabbed both of Chloe’s wrists unexpectedly and pinned them above Chloe’s head against the pillows; holding them down with one hand in one swift motion.

Chloe could only lie beneath her completely transfixed; completely submissive and helpless to the will and touch of the girl straddling her.

Chloe took one final, desperate look up into green eyes that she could see were filled with fire; their hunger echoing back at her and causing the heat to rush over her body and burn. Rachel leaned in, her face inches from the girl beneath her. Without averting her gaze, her hand ran down over the hem of Chloe’s underwear, grazing over the fabric and teasing at the warmth emanating from between her thighs.

The action was so discreet; so tentative; yet the sharp breath that escaped from Chloe at the feel of Rachel’s fingers through the barrier of her underwear made her hips thrust upwards, begging silently.

And for a second, Chloe’s mind ran a blank. Images flashed in front of her; images of being alone at Blackwell; seeing Rachel from afar with her friends; to feeling completely alone; to being saved by her; to laying on her bed beneath the stars; to kissing lips that she thought had always been a world away from her own.

Rachel was, without a doubt, the epitome of everything she had ever needed.

And right now, that phrase rung truer than ever.

Her breath shook as Rachel's stare seared down into her.

In a moment where time seemed to have stopped, the present was forced back upon her as she felt Rachel thrust her underwear downwards with her free hand, her fingers hovering over hot skin as if waiting for something; waiting for a cue.

Chloe looked up into those  _damn_ hazel green eyes which seemed to always hold all of the answers.

“ _Please,_ Rachel.”

It was all that Rachel needed to hear. The second that Rachel’s lips crashed back into her Chloe’s, was the second two fingers thrust surely and slowly, entering where Chloe needed it the most.

 

_Crimson and clover, over and over_

_Crimson and clover, over and over_

 

Chloe’s head thrust forward with a quiet cry of bliss, completely restrained by Rachel who continued to pin her wrists above her head skilfully with one hand, while the other entered and slipped in and out of her with ease. Rachel gasped at the feel of Chloe around her fingers.

The moment Rachel withdrew both fingers from inside Chloe and placed them in her mouth, was the moment Chloe completely lost it.

Chloe writhed helplessly beneath the girl on top of her, biting down on her lip hard enough in a way which made the skin feel raw. Rachel licked at her fingers before withdrawing them slowly from full lips, ensuring to keep her green eyes firmly set on the girl below her. She smiled down upon seeing the beads of sweat glisten around Chloe’s bare chest and linger around the three bullet necklace. The fire of her stare drove Chloe wild.

“You taste...” Rachel slowly sucked on her fingers one final time, “ _so fucking_ good.”

 _That_ did it.

Chloe’s hips bucked harshly up against Rachel as a high-pitched grunt left her lips; desperate for Rachel to fill her in the same way she had done so before. One of Rachel’s hands stroked down the length of the other girl’s slender body once more, a trail of goosebumps left in its wake. She thrust nimble fingers inside her again, realizing that the inside of the girl beneath her was hotter; tighter; slicker than it had been before.

Chloe’s back arched upwards as Rachel increased her speed, the rhythm of her fingers making the world blur around her as she felt the desire throb. Chloe’s body rocked with every motion of Rachel’s attentive fingers. Rachel continued to stare down at her with a grin that was nothing short of cunning and mischievous; she was definitely savouring every moment of Chloe being completely exposed to her as she unravelled beneath her; the sight of the badass rebel who took no shit from anyone taking every thrust of Rachel’s relentless fingers. As Chloe arched upwards underneath the grip of Rachel’s hand, Rachel crossed the distance between her lips and Chloe’s heaving naked chest.

She licked upwards and around Chloe’s breast in one swift motion, before stopping to close her lips and tongue around its peak.

The cry that escaped from Chloe’s open mouth caused a distinct arousal to pour and pool between Rachel’s own thighs within seconds.

Chloe’s cheeks were completely flush; pink and glistening with beads of sweat as Rachel agonizingly withdrew her fingers; stroking a slick fold which was barely an inch away from the area she desperately needed Rachel the most.

A heartbeat passed before she thrust her fingers back inside the taller girl one final time, pressing her entire palm over the area she had been working over; thrusting in and out with slender fingers faster and rougher; more certain; relishing every second she was inside of her.

Chloe’s breathing grew fast and ragged in seconds.

“ **Rach** —“

Her cries were stifled by her teeth biting down hard on her bottom lip as she felt her entire body burn and rush with the touch of Rachel making her mark on her one final time; taking her as her own completely. Any words that were meant to follow were lost completely as the surge of relief burned over her body.

The last climatic breaths that left Chloe’s mouth were met with the satisfied lips of Rachel, who grinned into her as she kissed her deeply. She withdrew her hand slowly as Chloe shook slightly beneath her.

“Holy _shit_.” Chloe’s breath was a ragged gasp.

“Right?”

Rachel painted Chloe’s lips with soft kisses, before kissing her cheek softy. She could taste the beads of sweat that lingered on Chloe’s skin and smiled as she licked her lips. She brought her hand down from holding Chloe’s wrists above her head; allowing Chloe to be released.

It took a few minutes for Chloe to come back to the real world; to avert her stare away from the stars in the cracks of the ceiling to fix firmly back on Rachel’s smile. Chloe’s mouth was still parted to echo the gasps which had been drawn from her by Rachel’s touch. Her blue eyes took in the sight of the girl sitting atop of her, looked at the waves of blonde which cascaded down one of her shoulders to rest above the curve of her cleavage. Chloe licked her lips unwillingly.

Chloe sat up to meet Rachel as she continued to straddle her lap. The heat between the two was evident; both from how the skin-on-skin contact felt hot enough to burn and from the beads of sweat glistening across both of their bodies. Chloe leaned up to meet Rachel’s lips, feeling Rachel move her hips gently against Chloe’s thigh as she did so; as if to build friction and to cut invisible distance yet again.

Tentatively and a little clumsily, Chloe’s hand slowly reached up to the blue material which held the swell of Rachel’s breast; her finger tips grazing over silky skin. The other girl’s breast felt full in her hand as she palmed it firmly, becoming quickly frustrated with the material barrier.

It was as if Rachel had read her mind.

Rachel’s lips departed from Chloe’s fleetingly, before she reached behind her back to undo her bra. The blue fabric fell away over her shoulders, revealing full breasts which Chloe couldn’t help but scope her eyes over every inch of. Chloe looked up at Rachel desperately; a little nervous; the desire and desperation to please her in every way almost overwhelming her.

The arms around her neck tightened as Rachel locked her lips firmly with Chloe’s once more, both of them gasping the moment in which their breasts became completely flush with each other's; the skin-on-skin contact creating a hum of desire which radiated between them, relentlessly. She felt Rachel shift a little on top of her, before she felt the unmistakable heat between the other girl’s legs press into her, desperately.

The contact made Chloe’s mind register something that made something deep inside of her snap.

The fabric of Rachel’s blue underwear was slick against her, warm and wet.

“ _Fuck_...”

Rachel looked down at Chloe with an unmistakable desire, as if she were pondering on devouring her; ravishing her; having her in every way possible all over again. Rachel rolled her hips in one fluid motion, causing her to gasp breathlessly above her as Chloe pressed into the area where Rachel ached the most. A moment passed between them; the air hot and heavier than it had ever been before. As if reading her mind yet again, Rachel reached for Chloe’s hand, placing it slowly between her legs and letting Chloe’s fingers acknowledge the wetness creeping through her underwear. Rachel gasped down at Chloe’s touch through the fabric and Chloe’s blue eyes grew wide.

“ _This_ , is what you do to me, Chloe Price.” Rachel’s voice was husky, thick with arousal.

As if like a light switch, something changed in Chloe completely and in a heartbeat; unnamed and indescribable. She sat up from the blankets, catching Rachel’s lips with her own and draping one arm firmly around the other girl’s waist; the other grabbing her backside. She turned to roll her over, hoisting Rachel up before placing her down against the blankets and pillows beneath them. Chloe paused for a second as she hovered over her, taking in the sight of Rachel’s full lips, her blonde hair splayed out across the pillow, the exposed, milky skin of her breasts, her desperate green eyes.

Chloe's mind rushed to ponder on how she ever got so lucky.

Rachel’s legs were still wrapped defiantly around Chloe’s waist as the taller girl lay above her. Rachel reached up to take the three bullets hanging from Chloe’s necklace in her fingers with a smile. She pulled on them gently, pulling Chloe from her thoughts and causing their lips to meet with a crash.

Chloe’s tongue was the one to ease itself in first; desperate to unravel the girl who made her heart ache and her head spin with a thousand thoughts she hadn’t ever encountered before. She felt Rachel pull her desperately closer with her thighs, resulting in Chloe pushing into her with her naked groin; still hot with desire. Chloe sucked longingly on the other girl’s bottom lip as she felt Rachel claw steadily down her back.

For a moment, Chloe registered that it was _Rachel Amber_ who was longing for her touch right beneath her; who was aching for her with a fire that only Chloe could extinguish. It was _Rachel Amber_ who was wet at the thought of her, who had tasted and relished her on her fingers as she made Chloe come undone as she lay defenceless beneath her.

And, for a moment, Rachel registered that it was _Chloe Price_ who was laying on top of her, her blue hair flashing in and out of vision as their lips brushed hotly against each other’s. It was _Chloe Price_ ; the rebel without a cause who had caught her eye from day one, who had unravelled at her touch; completely vulnerable and exposed beneath her as she filled her and felt her desperate arousal seep around her fingers.

Rachel rolled her hips upwards one final time, as Chloe thrust her pelvis down into the warmth between Rachel’s thighs; heat radiating from her blue lace underwear.

Rachel’s cry left Chloe’s skin burning hot all over, the innate need to pleasure the girl beneath her doubling in size.

Chloe leaned her head down, swiping a confident tongue across Rachel’s lips before trailing hot kisses down her jaw and down her neck. She savoured the smell of jasmine as the other girl's scent clouded her senses. She felt the wet fabric of Rachel’s underwear shift against her skin once more, unravelling her lust for the girl and driving her mind wild. She brought one hand to tease at the slick material, desperate to eliminate any barrier between her fingers and the ache between Rachel’s legs.

“ _Fuck me_ , Chloe,” Rachel bucked upwards, pushing into Chloe’s slender fingers. In one harsh, forceful movement, Chloe thrust the blue lace underwear to one side, running two fingers over the newly exposed wet folds which ached for her and her only. Rachel gasped sharply at the action, the lust for the taller girl above her burning at her very core. Rachel tightened her thighs which were still up and around Chloe’s waist in an attempt to coax the other girl to touch her where she needed it the most.

And how she had dreamed of this very moment.

And how she had grabbed at her own bed sheets in her empty bedroom while thoughts of the blue-haired punk clouded her mind into a thick fog as her fingers ran down underneath her waistband.

Chloe slowly brought her lips back to meet Rachel’s as she plunged her fingers inside of the girl who ached, writhed and begged beneath her. She felt Rachel breathe harshly in an exhale against her lips as Chloe’s long, slender fingers filled her; the touch amplified by the fact that Chloe was pressing down into her with her own pelvis as Rachel’s legs wrapped firmly around her, to make sure that they were as close as they could possibly be.

Rachel parted her lips away from Chloe in ragged breaths, pressing her sweat-slick forehead against Chloe’s as fingers worked her up and entered her in the way she had fantasized about for so long. Chloe’s breath was heavy too; their gaze intent on each other as Chloe thrust fingers into a slick wet heat which she suddenly found an agonizing desire to taste and completely devour. She withdrew her forehead from the other girl’s, before looking down at full breasts and swiping her tongue gently over one; drawing an addictive gasp from the girl beneath her as Rachel threw her head back in ecstasy. Chloe painted heated kisses across the swell of both breasts, before licking and closing her mouth on a pale nipple. The noises that left Rachel's lips and passed through the hot air made her stomach drop.

She reached up to place a final kiss back on Rachel’s lips.

She withdrew her fingers from Rachel, slowly.

Rachel's eyes looked up at her, pleading and desperate. “Please don’t stop, Chloe. I—“ 

Before she could finish her sentence, Chloe had sat up and was throwing Rachel's blue lace underwear somewhere across the floor. She pushed Rachel’s thighs upwards and held them there firmly, eager to please, touch, and relish the other girl in every way she possibly could. Rachel could only look down at her with green eyes full of an aroused fire which only Chloe could put out. Chloe’s blue eyes travelled up the silky pale skin of Rachel’s body one final time, planting two kisses on the inside of each thigh before swiping her tongue fleetingly over a slick wet fold.

Rachel’s eyes never left hers as a throaty moan escaped her lips.

Rachel tasted better than Chloe could have ever possibly imagined, and the vaguely salty sweetness of her lingered on Chloe's tongue.

Rachel’s hand ran up the side of Chloe’s face as she watched the taller girl lay between her legs. Chloe pushed her thighs upwards and made Rachel feel as exposed as she possibly could. Rachel balled her fist amongst blue hair, gripping down on it gently and pushing Chloe to where she needed her desperately. Rachel's other hand ran through her own blonde hair, desperately.

Chloe’s tongue swiped fleetingly once more, causing Rachel to hiss and let out a high-pitch cry of her name.

“ _ **Chloe**_ , I'm—“

Everything blurred instantly.

Chloe closed her mouth around the exposed heat between her legs, kissing with a sure tongue and adding to the wetness which was very much already there. Rachel could only gasp helplessly as she watched Chloe’s eyes flicker up to hers, holding her gaze as she continued to work her tongue and unravel her right there on the blankets of their junkyard shack. She grabbed Chloe’s hair and pushed her in harder, eliciting a hum of complete bliss from Chloe who savoured every taste. The sounds of approval which came from Chloe became muffled as she focused on pleasing and licking Rachel in every way she could. 

Rachel’s mind buzzed as if it was filled with bees; her hips heaving and back arching involuntarily as she felt Chloe’s steady tongue pick up the pace to a skillful rhythm that both surprised her and drove her closer and closer to the edge. The moment she felt ready to spill completely, she felt Chloe plunge one finger into her once more.

The high-pitched cry which leapt from Rachel's lips just added to Chloe's hunger, making it gain even more momentum.

“ _Shit_ , Chloe. I’m so close. I'm gonna—“

A second finger plunged into her, as Chloe enclosed her lips and circled her tongue to the peak of which Rachel needed her the most. Rachel’s breathing was loud and grew faster with each thrust of Chloe’s fingers. With one final rhythmic lick and a curl of Chloe’s fingers as they plunged inside of her, Rachel came undone. She attempted to stifle her cries with the back of her arm, failing somewhat and causing a smile to spread across Chloe’s lips as she watched the girl of her dreams lose complete control and tremble beneath her.

As if it were even possible, a new sense of sweetness spilled onto Chloe's tongue and she felt Rachel's legs turn limp.

Reluctantly, Chloe moved her lips away and trailed kisses up and along Rachel’s soft thighs, bringing her legs down gently. She moved upwards to meet back with Rachel, whose green eyes were still closed and whose breathing was slowly pacing back to a normal speed. She draped her arm over Rachel’s bare waist, while she looked at her with a combination of both adoration and lust.

Green eyes blinked slowly a few times, before Rachel’s face turned to meet Chloe’s.

“You have _no idea_ , how long I’ve wanted that.” Rachel’s fingers grazed Chloe’s cheek, pushing away a slick strand of blue hair. She kissed her deeply, tasting herself on Chloe’s tongue which made her throb one last time.

“I’m pretty sure it’s not even half the amount of time I’ve wanted you,” Chloe muttered as she pulled away from Rachel’s lips, almost in a whisper.

Rachel’s eyes widened. “What do you mean?”

Chloe gulped, averting her eyes away from Rachel’s gaze to look back up at the night sky which filtered through the cracks and holes in the shack roof, “I’ve kind of had a major crush on you since freshman year.”

Rachel sat up from the blankets in a vague sense of shock, laughing softly in a gasp as she looked down at Chloe. “No way.” Rachel rolled her eyes, “I can’t imagine the Chloe Price I saw storming down the corridors of Blackhell having a crush on _anyone_.” Rachel giggled, still breathless. She pushed a strand of sweat-slick hair away from Chloe’s face, “I didn’t think anyone at Blackwell would be your type. You’re too much of a badass for everyone there.”

“Everyone, except you,” Chloe’s eyes met Rachel’s once again, before she gulped. “I think you’re the most sexy and attractive person I’ve ever met in my entire life.”

Rachel felt her heart flutter for a moment, and she knotted her brow while she looked down at Chloe, as if trying to register each word she had just said. 

"You really think so?" Rachel questioned, her voice was timid.

Chloe gulped hard while both of her eyes flicked between the green ones staring down at her from above, "I think you're perfect."

Rachel blinked exactly once, before Chloe noticed her lips move apart. A heartbeat later, and there was exactly zero distance between them yet again. Rachel's tongue trailed slowly over her lips, and Rachel moaned against the mouth of the girl beneath her as soon as she tasted herself on Chloe's tongue.

Reluctantly, Rachel departed from her lips to look down once again into the sincere, warm gaze of blue eyes. She ran her hand through cobalt hair. “I’m not leaving you, Chloe.”

“I’m not going anywhere, either,” Chloe smiled into the other girl’s lips.

“No, Chloe. I mean it,” Rachel looked back at Chloe with such sincerity that it made the other girl’s heart swell instantaneously, “I’m not moving back to California.”

Chloe blinked. “What?”

“I think I’m going on vacation with Sera for a couple of weeks this summer... perhaps a few,” Rachel’s eyes looked down away from Chloe, brimmed with sadness, “I feel like I want to _know_ her, y’know? I feel like I should, after everything that’s happened.”

Chloe tried her hardest to contain the sinking feeling inside of her which made her eyes begin to sting with a vague feeling of tears.

“But in the fall, I’m moving into Blackwell.” Chloe’s eyes widened at Rachel’s words, a smile spreading across her lips. “And you’ll be able to see me every single day.”

“Shit, Rach. What?!” Chloe pulled the other girl in closer, tightening the arm that was draped across her naked torso. “That’s awesome. _Fuck_." She fiddled with the blue feather hanging from Rachel's ear, "I’m so happy you’ll finally be _out_ of that house.”

“Me too,” Rachel leaned in, planting a kiss on the tip of Chloe’s nose, “And you’ll be able to see me every single day.”

“Is that so?” Chloe grinned back at her.

“Yep, because you’ll be starting back at Blackwell then too.”

“W-what?” Chloe blinked, unsure as to whether she’d heard Rachel’s words correctly.

“My dad might have lied through his ass about every other shitty thing in my life,” Rachel frowned, before looking back at Chloe with hope in her eyes. “But he wasn’t lying about trying to get you started back at Blackwell in the fall. I already saw the email confirmation from Principal Wells.”

Chloe blinked in awe before rolling onto her back, her hand running through her blue bedhead in disbelief. “Holy shit. I thought he hated my guts...” Rachel shifted to lay on Chloe’s shoulder, her arm wrapped around her middle before Chloe kissed her forehead, “My mom is going to be so happy. But...” Chloe hesitated, before biting down on her bottom lip, “...are you sure you don’t want to move back to California with Sera?”

Rachel looked up at the stars which floated through the gaps in the roof. She sighed.

“Now that I have you Chloe, there is no way I’m leaving you.” Rachel licked her lips, “I have wanted _this_...” she lingered a hand over Chloe’s naked chest, hovering directly above where Chloe’s heart began to beat rapidly in her chest. “...for so long, and there is no way I’m letting it go.”

“You ‘have me’?” Chloe’s breath hitched a little in the back of her throat.

“Yeah. Is... that okay?” Rachel blinked up at her, hesitantly.

“Uh... yes. That is totally okay.” Chloe rolled to lay over Rachel with a smile, “Like, completely okay. _Hella_ okay, in fact.”

Rachel laughed, rolling her eyes, before reaching up to bring Chloe into another deep kiss as the night grew old.

“Good,” she smiled against Chloe’s lips, “Because you have me, completely.”


	9. Track 9

**Track 9**

**[Angus& Julia Stone - "Santa Monica Dream"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cw_0Bxqpc9o) (I felt it was about high time this beautiful song made an appearance)**

**[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cw_0Bxqpc9o ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cw_0Bxqpc9o) **

 

* * *

 

The hot glow of the morning sun washing over her face was the first thing that Chloe registered as she stirred from sleep.

The feel of Rachel Amber’s warm, naked body sleeping next to her was the second.

Chloe blinked slowly and hesitantly, like she was afraid to wake up properly in case last night had happened only in her dreams. She turned her head slightly to the left and, to her relief, she saw Rachel sleeping soundly. Their legs were tangled together beneath a thin, maroon blanket and Rachel’s arm draped lazily over Chloe’s bare middle. The smile that spread across Chloe’s lips was automatic; she watched as Rachel’s pale shoulders rose and fell with each gentle breath she took and Chloe grinned when she saw the other girl’s nose scrunch a little in her sleep for a moment.

And, for the first time in a long time, everything in and around Chloe felt completely calm. There was no angry buzz inside her head, no aching in her heart, no pain bubbling beneath the surface of her skin.

She looked down at Rachel’s pouted lips as she slept, and looked at the delicate curl of her long eyelashes. She looked at the glow of her soft pale skin as the golden ray of the early morning sun seeped through the holes in the shack. Rachel stirred a little, before bringing sleepy green eyes slowly upwards to look at Chloe. She smiled dozily while looking into Chloe’s face and wrapped her arm tightly around Chloe’s middle, as if she had also just thought back to the memories of last night.

“Mmmh.” Rachel closed her eyes again, before reaching slowly upwards to place a tender kiss across Chloe’s lips, “Good morning, you.”

Chloe wrapped her arms tightly around Rachel, bringing her in close and warming at the touch of bare skin against her own. She smiled into her lips, “Good morning.”

“Last night...” Rachel exhaled deeply and slowly, in a way which was so content it left goosebumps across Chloe’s chest as she felt her warm breath against her skin, “...was _amazing_.”

“Right?” Chloe laughed a little as she spoke, reminiscing of the way Rachel had smiled up at her and said that exact word after their first kiss beneath the streetlights. Chloe almost felt bashful as images of their naked bodies entwined with each other flashed across her mind, and she leaned her head down into the nook of Rachel’s neck to hide the dorky smile on her lips.

“Is Chloe Price blushing?” Rachel giggled, sweeping fingers through Chloe’s messed up blue hair.

“Maybe,” Chloe muttered into Rachel’s shoulder, her voice muffled.

“Well, trust me when I say that you have _nothing_ to be embarrassed about,” Rachel sighed into Chloe’s blue hair, before touching her chin with her index finger and bringing Chloe’s face up to meet her own.  She leaned into the blushing taller girl’s lips, before taking her lips in her own and kissing her deeply. She felt Chloe relax into the kiss and sigh into her mouth as she did so, their tongues touching fleetingly as Chloe tentatively pushed her own into Rachel’s mouth. Rachel pulled away briefly, smiling into Chloe’s lips, “You rock my world, Chloe.”

Chloe rested her forehead against Rachel’s, closing her eyes as if she was making the effort to memorize every second of their time together, “I’ve... never felt that way before,” She licked her lips slowly, her forehead still pressed against Rachel’s, “I mean... I’ve never felt like _that..._ ” Chloe swallowed hard, fighting the burning she felt at her cheeks, “No one has ever made me feel the way you do.”

Rachel smiled endearingly at the taller girl's awkward nervousness. “You are one in a hundred infinities, Chloe Price.” Rachel’s lips parted slightly, before closing as if she paused on what she was going to say. She planted a gentle kiss on the tip of Chloe’s nose, “No one has ever made me feel the way you do, either.”

Chloe smiled, resting her chin atop of Rachel’s head and bringing her in closer. She looked around at their cocoon; at the fairy lights hanging over the tapestry, at the two half drank beers, at their discarded clothes. She smirked as her eyes lay to rest on Rachel’s blue lace underwear hanging off the wooden makeshift table. She smirked and her voice was quiet as she spoke, “I am so fucking lucky.”

“What was that?” Rachel planted gentle kisses across Chloe’s bare shoulder.

“I am so lucky to have you, Rach.” Chloe shifted to lie on her back and brought one hand up to rest behind her blue bedhead. She wrapped her free arm tightly around Rachel as she saw hazel green eyes slowly trail down her naked torso. She felt that vague, exposed, vulnerable feeling prickle at her skin. “That day in the junkyard, when I said that whatever’s going on between us is special?”

“Mmmmh,” Rachel sighed as Chloe brought her hand up to rake slowly through blonde waves of hair. “You weren’t wrong.”

“I really meant it when I said that that was the best day I’d had since my dad died,” Chloe made a conscious effort to swallow the lump she felt forming in her throat, “And everything that has happened since then has honestly felt like a dream. You’ve completely changed my life Rachel Amber. Well...” She moved strands of blonde hair behind Rachel’s ear, “...you _saved_ my life.”

Rachel shifted before leaning up on her elbows; looking down at Chloe with sleepy green eyes that Chloe could feel wandering all over her body. She scooted one thigh over Chloe to straddle her lap, both girl’s gasping softly at the touch of bare skin on bare skin. Rachel’s hair was golden in the morning rays of sunlight, the waves of blonde cascading over her shoulder. Chloe’s eyes couldn’t help but take in the silky skin of her breasts, the pale definitions of her collarbones, the dip above her hips. Chloe sat up to meet her, and Rachel’s legs wrapped firmly around Chloe’s backside to make them completely entwined with each other.

“My angel,” Chloe looked up into warm green eyes that made her heart ache. She planted exactly two kisses across Rachel’s collarbone, before trailing five more up her neck. Rachel tilted her head to the side as she welcomed Chloe’s kisses. She closed her eyes and sighed softly, her smile euphoric. She draped her arms around Chloe’s neck.

“You saved my life too, y’know,” Rachel nodded her head down to the scar on her left arm.

Chloe’s blue eyes lowered to look at the scar, planting soft kisses across it, “I know, but... I _mean it_ , Rach. After my dad died, and Max left... I felt like nothing in my life made sense. I felt...” Chloe could feel the harsh sting of tears at her eyes, “...so _fucking_ lost. It felt like nothing mattered, and I didn’t matter to anyone. Honestly, on most days, I felt like I would have been better off dea—“

Rachel cut her off before Chloe could finish the word she dreaded to hear. She pushed her full lips hard into Chloe’s, and felt a tear leave Chloe’s eye and land on her own cheek as their lips crashed and parted together in repeated motions. They gasped into each other’s mouths and moaned softly the second their tongue’s slowly danced together.

“I will do everything I can to make sure you never feel like that, _ever again_ , Chloe.” Rachel was almost breathless as she tore her lips away from the girl she was straddling. She paused momentarily, pushing fallen strands of blonde hair back behind her ear. “Do you still miss her?”

“Who?” Chloe breathed heavily into the milky soft skin of Rachel’s neck, brushing her lips up towards Rachel’s ear.

Rachel sighed happily, before leaning back to look into Chloe’s eyes sincerely. Her blue eyes still faintly glistened with tears. “Max, I mean.”

Chloe paused, a little taken aback by the question and the sound of hearing her childhood best friend’s name come from Rachel’s lips. “I guess I haven’t really thought about her in a while, but I used to write her letters. Letters which I kind of... never sent.”

“You never sent them?” Rachel pushed twiddled blue hair between her fingers, “How comes?”

“I think I used to write letters to Max as a kind of... weird way of avoiding reality.” Chloe lowered her eyes, like she was shying away from any possible judgement, “It was my way of living in the past. Pretending I still lived in a time when everything felt okay and Max still had my back and my dad was still here.”

Rachel brushed soft fingers down the side of Chloe’s face tenderly, wiping away a tear as she did so, “Why did you stop writing to her?”

“I realized that I didn’t want to live in the past anymore,” Chloe averted her gaze back up towards Rachel’s face, because _this is Rachel_ , her heart told her, “I wanted to live right here in the present. With you.”

And with that, Chloe ran one hand through waves of blonde and pulled Rachel in and kissed her deeply, sweeping a tongue between her parting lips to elicit a quiet moan from the girl on her lap.

“Did you ever write about me?” Rachel smiled and breathed her words against Chloe’s yearning lips.

“Uh...” Chloe winced and blushed as she thought back to the very first time she began to write about Rachel, “I think that all of the last letters I ever wrote were about you,” Chloe kissed down the silky skin of Rachel’s jawline, her breaths were hot and heavy.

“Oh yeah?” Rachel ran both hands through blue hair, pulling Chloe in closer, “And what did you say about me?”

“I said how fucking awesome it was to make out with Rachel Amber,” Chloe grinned and gripped Rachel’s naked hips, relishing in Rachel’s scent as she grazed her lips over the bare skin of her neck. A breathy, sharp moan escaped Rachel’s mouth as she sucked on the supple skin just below her ear. The sound was addicting, and a hunger began to pool and burn in Chloe’s stomach; a hunger to do whatever it took to make sure those sounds continued to come from the girl on top of her.

“ _Fuck_ , Chloe...” Rachel wrapped her arms tighter around Chloe, making her breasts flush with Chloe’s and pushing her lips into the sensitive skin of her neck. She felt the heat of arousal quickly pooling between her legs. She exhaled heavily, “And what would you say about me now?”

“I’d write about,” Chloe paused, biting down gently on her bottom lip, “how fucking _good_ you made me feel, Rach,” Chloe’s mind began to cloud with a thick fog of desire.

Images of Rachel stood before her in the dim, warm light; reaching around slowly to unzip her dress.

Images of Rachel straddling her, pinning Chloe’s arms down above her head and leaving her defenceless beneath her.

Images of Rachel ghosting and teasing her lips over her heaving chest, wrapping full lips and a soft tongue over the peak as confident fingers entered her for the first time.

Images of Rachel desperate for her touch beneath her, her legs open and her blue lace underwear wet from the desire. Wet from the aching need of Chloe before she licked and kissed Rachel between her thighs as she throbbed with lust beneath her.

Something inside Chloe changed and snapped like a twig.

She raked her hands hastily down Rachel’s back before grabbing firmly at her backside, gasping at soft skin. She lifted her from her lap and pushed her down onto the blankets behind her with a shove, pausing above her as she took in the look of surprise which was spread across Rachel’s face. Rachel quickly caught on to the hunger which was burning into her from Chloe’s dark blue eyes; her blonde hair fanned against the blankets in waves and glowing golden in the soft sunlight. Her smile curled at one end as she looked up at Chloe, the sudden dominance present within her made Rachel’s stomach lurch and flutter.

“I’d write about how _fucking sexy_ you are,” Chloe’s eyes travelled over pale soft skin of full breasts, down to Rachel’s toned stomach and thighs, and back up to the look of burning desire from hooded green eyes. She leaned down to close the distance between each of their naked bodies, kissing a trail of lust right between the middle of Rachel’s breasts, down the middle of her stomach, crossing the dip of her hip and down her right thigh. Rachel propped herself up on her elbows as she looked at her with her lips parted; taken aback by the hunger in Chloe’s eyes and how quickly she had switched.

“Tell me what else you’d write about,” Rachel demanded, parting her legs expectantly and biting down on her bottom lip. Her voice was husky and low as her gaze refused to leave Chloe’s.

Chloe shifted down lower, her breath heavy and heart beating hard in her chest as she took in every inch of skin as Rachel laid on the blankets; her thighs open and expectant.

Somehow, even as Chloe leaned above Rachel after throwing her down on the blankets in a moment of confidence, she still felt completely submissive and hypnotized as Rachel lay expectantly before her.

Chloe felt something inside of her throb and sink simultaenously as she noticed that Rachel was wet and aching for her already.

“I’d write about,” Chloe trailed a slender hand down the curve and dip of Rachel’s hip, laying to rest as it hovered above the warmth emanating between Rachel’s legs, “how _fucking good_ you taste.”

The high-pitched breath which was thrust from Rachel’s lips echoed in her ears as two of Chloe’s fingers slid teasingly over wet folds. The touch felt like embers across her skin, aching to extinguish as soon as they enter the wetness between Rachel’s thighs.

“Tell me you want me,” Rachel’s hands turned to fists as they reached up desperately to grab at the blue hair which clung at Chloe’s face.

“I’d write about how much I want you,” Chloe leaned down obediently, devouring Rachel’s mouth and biting down gently on the other girl’s bottom lip. “ _How long_ I’ve been wanting to touch you, and how _fucking good_ it feels when my fingers are inside you.”

And with that, Chloe thrust two sure fingers to enter the heat where Rachel needed it the most.

A throaty moan left Rachel’s mouth as she threw her head back into the blankets.

“You are mine, Chloe,” She bit down hard on her bottom lip and rocked her hips to the rhythm of Chloe’s pacing fingers. Her voice was low and thick with arousal for the girl above her; her head thrown back against the blankets in ecstasy. “Tell me that _you’re **mine**_.”

“I’m yours, Rach,” Chloe mapped kisses across Rachel’s exposed neck, brushing her lips against silk soft skin before running a tongue fleetingly over the area she had just kissed. She heard Rachel’s breathing spike sharply as she deepened her fingers and Chloe felt her throb at her touch. “I’m yours, I'm yours..."

* * *

The hot water ran down Chloe’s back, down her neck and flowed off of her taught hipbones. She closed her eyes as the water flooded over her and made her blue hair stick to her face. The steam clouded her vision and felt heavy around her.

Their Saturday morning had been spent entwined in each other’s arms in the warm light of their junkyard shack; neither of them wanting to leave the cocoon that they had created. The outside world bore the harsh reality that Rachel was leaving with Sera soon, and neither girl wanted to acknowledge the fact that the world existed outside of their nest. Eventually and reluctantly, Chloe and Rachel had packed up their things and headed back to Chloe’s, shoving on their dresses from the night before while wrapped in the blankets Chloe had brought for them.

Chloe’s train of thought was swiftly interrupted as two arms came to wrap themselves around her waist, and she smiled as she felt Rachel’s body press against her back. The water from the showerhead flowed between them, and Chloe felt her insides dip at the unmistakable feel of Rachel’s wet breasts pushing gently into her back.

“Hey you,” Rachel cooed softly behind her, her voice quiet underneath the water pouring and pooling in the shower.

Chloe turned around slowly to face her, taking extra care not to slip. Her eyes dropped to the sight of Rachel before her, her blonde hair slick with water and dripping at her shoulders. The droplets running off and over the peaks of her breasts, the flow of water running off of her pale skin like milk. “Holy shit,” Chloe felt herself gulp, consciously. She made a mental note of the fact that she wasn’t sure she would ever get used to the sight of a naked Rachel Amber, and even if she did, she was pretty certain she could never tire of it. “Why look, a goddess in my water.”

“Room for one more?” Rachel draped her arms over Chloe’s shoulders, bringing their wet-slick bodies flush with one another’s. She bit gently down on her lip before throwing a seductive wink up at Chloe, “I _need_ a shower after last night.” She paused, "And this morning."

“Always,” Chloe bent her head down to meet wet lips, the hot water running between them and flooding Chloe’s senses as the vision of Rachel blurred slightly against the steam. The stream of water flowing between them echoed mindfully the floods of arousal sweeping over both girl’s as wet skin brushed wet skin.

A sudden knocking at the bathroom door made both Chloe and Rachel lurch back to reality in the space of two seconds.

“Chloe! Is that you in the bathroom? Where were you last night?” Joyce’s muffled voice made Chloe close her eyes tightly with embarrassment and throw her head back at the ceiling; as if to ask an invisible entity: _why me?_ Rachel buried her face in her hands to try to keep from laughing. “Are you in for dinner tonight?”

“Mom! Uh...” Chloe mouthed an ‘ _Oh my god’_ to Rachel, who’s green eyes were looking back at her in shock and she could tell she was laughing beneath her hands, “Dinner. Yep. Uh... Dinner sounds absolutely Rachel.”

Rachel’s eyes widened as she looked up at Chloe, who herself looked just about ready to melt and dissolve into the shower water, to be swept away by the plughole. Surprisingly, Chloe still hadn't learned her lesson from word-vomiting Rachel's name that day on the train.

“What was that?” Joyce’s confused voice echoed through the bathroom door, “Is Rachel coming over for dinner?”

“Yep, that’s definitely what I said,” Chloe mouthed a _fuck_ and ran stressed hands through her slick-wet blue hair.

“Oh, wonderful! It’s about time,” Chloe could hear her mom practically smiling through the door, which confirmed the fact that Chloe was just about ready to die at any given second. “What does she like?”

Rachel cocked a curious eyebrow straight at Chloe, before disappearing downwards from view.

“Anything’s good, mom. She’s pretty open—“ Chloe gasped loudly as she felt Rachel’s wet lips graze and brush between her thighs, “Fuck!” she hissed, her glare burning into Rachel who knelt innocently down at her feet, “she’s pretty open-minded!” Chloe’s eyes were wide and she brushed wet hair out of her face as she stared open-mouthed at Rachel. She mouthed a voiceless ‘ _What the fuck?’_ as she stood helpless to Rachel’s teasing and daring lips beneath the flowing stream of the showerhead.

“Well, is there anything she doesn’t like?” Joyce’s voice called through the door once more, refusing to leave. “I don’t want to cook her something she won’t eat.”

Rachel pressed soft, wet hands into Chloe’s upper thighs, before running them upwards and behind to clasp around each curve of Chloe’s backside. She thrust Chloe inwards towards her tongue in one swift motion, causing Chloe to stagger a little and grab at the slippery tiles of the bathroom wall. She gasped in a hushed half-moan as Rachel’s eager tongue swept up the top of her thigh before resting defiantly over the heat which had built up significantly between Chloe’s thighs.

“Holy _sh—“_ Chloe brought an arm up to prevent any further words escaping her lips. As she did so, she could only stand helplessly beneath the constant stream of water as Rachel hungrily swept her tongue over a wet fold, before enclosing her mouth completely over the area where Chloe throbbed. She was completely weak to Rachel's touch, despite how much she knew they should stop, and despite how inappropriate the entire situation was.

She gasped loudly. 

“Chloe? Are you alright?” The faint knocking at the bathroom door caused Chloe to wince and try to block out the voice as much as possible, as she felt her knees become weak at every sweep of Rachel’s tongue as she devoured her between her legs. The fire in Rachel's green eyes flashed up to meet blue and burned with an adamant stare. Chloe mouthed a silent:  _You're so fucking dead._

“Yep, I’m fine. I’m—“ Chloe became breathless in seconds as she felt her voice disappear and singe at the burn of desire. She mouthed down at Rachel, _‘Fuck, Rach. That feels so—‘_ “Good!”

“Okay, well. I’ll be downstairs if you need me,” Chloe exhaled in relief at the sound of footsteps fading down the hall. “When is she coming over?”

Rachel pushed herself up further into the burning ache between Chloe’s legs as Chloe leaned desperately back into the wet tiles to stop herself from melting at the touch of Rachel’s confident tongue. She ran one hand desperately through her wet blue hair, while the other one swept fingers through wet waves of blonde. “She’s coming soon!” Chloe called, sighing as the footsteps disappeared from earshot. She breathed, each breath getting more rapid and high-pitched by the second, “ _Fuck, Rach._ I’m—“ She felt Rachel’s hand push one leg upwards and Chloe complied, placing her foot on the side of the bath to expose herself completely to Rachel as she kneeled between her legs. “—I’m gonna—“ Chloe’s head fell back against the hard tiles as Rachel’s tongue encircled the peak where she ached, where she throbbed, her whole mouth pushing and kissing and devouring and sweeping, relentlessly. The hot water washed over and drenching them both; amplifying Rachel’s every touch.

Chloe trembled into her mouth defencelessly, as her final ragged breath echoed between them.

* * *

_Goodbye to my Santa Monica dream_  
_Fifteen kids in the backyard drinking wine_  
_You tell me stories of the sea_  
_And the ones you left behind_

 _Goodbye to the roses on your street_  
_Goodbye to the paintings on your wall_  
_Goodbye to the children we'll never meet_  
_And the ones we left behind_  
_And the ones we left behind_

“Okay, now my mom is _definitely_ going to know you are already here if she hears this playing.” Chloe smiled from the edge of the bed and took a drag from her cigarette. She watched Rachel walk away from the stereo proudly, “I don’t normally listen to goopy stuff like this.”

“It’s not ‘goopy’,” Rachel feigned a pout, walking towards Chloe and taking a seat at the edge of the bed next to her. “I listened to this song on repeat while I was under house arrest after the hospital,” Rachel exhaled softly, leaning to rest her head on Chloe’s shoulder, “it reminds me of you.”

“I can’t imagine why it would,” Chloe chucked lightly, wrapping an arm around Rachel’s waist before holding the cigarette up to Rachel’s lips; offering her a drag. Rachel wrapped her lips slowly, taking in a deep breath before exhaling the smoky fog. “I would have hoped I’d made a more... lasting impression on you.” Chloe laid back to rest her head on her bed, and Rachel followed suit; leaning over Chloe and looking down at her. She smiled as she brushed damp hair out of Chloe’s eyes.

_I'm somewhere, you're somewhere_  
_I'm nowhere, you're nowhere_  
_You're somewhere, you're somewhere_  
_I could go there but I don't_

 

“Chloe, I...” Chloe caught sight of Rachel biting down lightly on her bottom lip, like she was pondering on what words to choose from to say next. “I’m really going to miss you, Chloe Price.”

“Likewise, Rachel Amber.” Chloe felt her eyes avert away subconsciously from the girl leaning over her, “I’ve been trying not to think about it.” Chloe’s voice was quietly fragile.

“I hope you know that I’m going to call you and text you every minute of every day,” Rachel placed a tentative kiss on Chloe’s forehead, sweeping down damp blue strands of hair as she did so, “You’re not getting rid of me that easy.”

“I understand if you don’t, though,” Chloe gulped, placing blue eyes back into the heavy gaze of green, “I mean, who knows what places you’ll go to, or the people you meet, or—“

“—no.” Rachel’s word was simple; her voice matter-of-fact.

“’No?’” Chloe threw a confused look up to Rachel with an eyebrow raised.

“Nothing and no one could _ever_ take me away from you, Chloe.” Rachel’s gaze was warm but firm, as if trying to teach Chloe a lesson she refused to learn, “And I am still hella serious about getting the hell out of Arcadia Bay _with_ **you** as soon as we can. Every word I said on stage still holds true now, believe me.”

 

 

 _Rob's in the kitchen making pizza_  
_Somewhere down in Battery Park_  
_I'm singing songs about the future_  
_Wondering where you are_  
_I could call you on the telephone_  
_But do I really want to know?_  
_You're making love now to the lady down the road_  
_No I don't, I don't want to know_

“’We shall fly beyond this isle...’” Chloe recited, as memories of stagelights flashed across her mind.

“...the corners of the world our mere prologue.” Rachel brushed a soft hand slowly down Chloe’s cheek, to rest beneath Chloe’s chin. She slowly brought her upwards, meeting lips together that had somehow seemed to miss each other after only minutes of absence.

Chloe stroked a hand up the sleeve of Rachel’s red flannel shirt, sighing into the full lips which had claimed her as their own in the bathroom just moments beforehand. “I love this shirt,” Chloe pulled at its sleeve, smiling.

“I wonder why?” Rachel‘s mouth spread into a smile in unison against their kiss, “It wouldn’t have _anything_ to do with the fact that I was wearing it the night of our first kiss, right?”

“Your words, not mine, Rach.” Chloe looked up at the ceiling, innocently. Rachel sat up, leaving Chloe’s lips and resulting in Chloe missing the contact instantly. She watched on propped elbows as Rachel began to take off the flannel shirt, leaving Rachel in just her black band tee and jeans. “Uh... you’re getting undressed _again_? Already?” Chloe checked the time on her phone, and laughed, “I don’t know if we have time to do it _again_. I’m pretty sure dinner will be ready soon.”

Rachel rolled her eyes, before placing the red flannel material in Chloe’s hands, “No, smartass.” She lay back down, resting her head in her hands as she met Chloe’s cheek with a tender kiss. “You can keep it while I’m away,” she winked seductively and Chloe felt her skin hum with desire vaguely once more as blues locked with green, “for when you miss me.”

 

_I'm somewhere, you're somewhere_  
_I'm nowhere, you're nowhere_  
_You're somewhere, you're somewhere_  
_I could go there but I don’t_

“Chloe!” The friendly call of Joyce downstairs stirred both of them back to the present, “Dinner’s ready!”

Rachel patted the ripped jeans at Chloe’s knee with a smile, before hopping up off of the bed and sauntering over to Chloe’s bedroom door. Chloe looked down at the red material of the flannel shirt in her hands, before holding it up to her face. She breathed deeply, the scent of jasmine, faint cigarette smoke and clean laundry rolled into one and made Chloe’s senses buzz. Vague pins and needles landed themselves over Chloe’s skin as she relished everything about the girl across her bedroom.

Rachel turned around in the doorway, curious as to why Chloe was still sat on the bed. “Are you coming?” She cocked an eyebrow, smiling across the bedroom. A warm golden glow was cast between them as the late afternoon sun poured through the window.

Chloe smiled, hastily shoving Rachel’s shirt beneath her pillow. She jumped up from the bed with a giddy smile spread across her lips.

And yes, she should probably be nervous and maybe even utmost petrified that this was the first time that her, Rachel, her mom, and David were all going to be sat down and having dinner together.

And yes, the inevitable fact that Rachel was going to be leaving very soon should probably have darkened the situation and laid heavy on her chest the way everything else used to do.

But right now, any doubts she had about their future had seemed to be erased and had floated somewhere high up above them, out into the sky and up into space before eventually ceasing to exist.

And right now, she was in the present. With Rachel. No matter what was going to happen next.

_Goodbye to my Santa Monica dream_  
_Fifteen kids in the backyard drinking wine_  
_You will tell me stories of the sea_  
_And the ones you left behind_  
_And the ones we left behind_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a quick THANK YOU <3 and FYI: These past couple of chapters are the very first time I've ever written detailed mature scenes like this, so forgive me if they seem either too much/not enough. I'm still learning to find the right balance :P and of course, please do let me know your thoughts, your desires, and your song recommendations.
> 
> I hope you're all still enjoying the ride.


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